On Gray Waves
by TheYogurt
Summary: The age of dragons is but a distant memory. The time of man is now. The kingdoms of Nohr and Hoshido are at war, and at the center of it all, a young prince will make his name. A reimagination of Fire Emblem: Fates without dragons.
1. Beginnings

...

* * *

 **-= 01: Beginnings =-**

* * *

 _'It all began in Cheve. Where King Sumeragi of Hoshido was slain, and his son stolen away to be raised in the now-defunct Northern Fortress. Prince Corrin, though Hoshidan-blooded, was raised believing he was a Nohrian prince. A retired knight, two hostages from the Ice Tribe clan, and an abandoned orphan. Those were his companions in the years to come. By all accounts, King Garon didn't expect much from what he considered a project of his - a prince whose loyalty would be completely his through isolation and ties of blood._

 _Though it did not begin that way, from reading the diaries of my father who was the prince's close companion, the prince's personality was such that all who met him could not help but be enamored with his spirit and character. The royal family of Nohr, King Garon excepted, came to fully believe and love Corrin as their own sibling. The band of misfits that were to raise the young lord became as close as any family. Prince Corrin flourished, studying all the arts of war and magic as he endeavoured to one day make himself useful to Nohr._

 _Seventeen years of peace would fly by before King Garon would finally consider meeting his wayward son once more.'_

\- Dwyer, Historian.

* * *

 _ **Northern Fortress**_

* * *

 _Prince Corrin_

"Surely you can do better, little prince? Father will be quite disappointed if this is all you can muster!"

Grimacing, the young lord leapt out of the way of another mighty swing, eyes still tracking the regal figure across from him. The armor so painstakingly polished by Jakob this morning, the sword Felicia had spent all too many nights cleaning - _was that already a dent there?_ And then he had no time to bemoan the inevitable fate of ironing out the dents afterwards, as Xander stepped forward with two confident, wide slashes.

Corrin rapidly back-stepped, bare feet pushing against the cold stone tiles of the sparring room just in time as Xander's second swipe caught the edge of one of his sleeves. Both fighters returned to a ready position, and Corrin knew that time was most certainly _not_ on his side. Perhaps he should try going on the offensive once more?

The silver-haired prince darted forward with a quick thrust to find, to his dismay, that Xander's defense was as impenetrable as ever. Xander's sword easily diverted his half-hearted lunge. The young prince found himself in the unenviable position of arm outstretched, sword nowhere close to his body, and an amused Xander looking at him.

"Oi oi, I'm up against the strongest knight of Nohr! Surely you can take it a little easier on me, Xander!"

"Flattery won't get you out of this! Prepare yourself, Corrin!"

 _'Oh well,'_ Corrin thought, ' _it was worth a shot. This is going to hurt, isn't it.'_

"Gahhhh!" Corrin, meet wall. Wall, meet Corrin.

 _'Yep. Oww... Oh sh...!'_

The prince barely managed to get up on his feet before Xander closed in on him. Corrin staggered as Xander's weighty blow smashed into his hastily-prepared guard. Wincing, he disengaged, knowing that it was only because Xander was allowing him to do so. Shaking his head to reorient himself, the prince grimly reaffirmed the obvious conclusion that there was absolutely no way he could match Xander in pure swordfighting. His defense was stupidly _perfect,_ every opening he thought he saw nothing more than a ruse.

"Giving up already? Where's all the bluster and resolve from earlier gone? Surely you know that Father won't let you visit him with that kind of performance!"

A tinge of panic. Those words hit a little too close to home. Corrin really didn't want to disappoint Father and to do so, he needed to convince Xander to take him to the capital.

"You can do it, Lord Corrin!"

Felicia's cheery voice blew through the tense atmosphere as the two duelists took a brief respite. Not even a trace of doubt, as if she hadn't been watching Xander demolish him for what must have been an eternity-and-a-half. Where did that confidence even come from?

"Don't get distracted now, my lord. Remember all your training!"

Flora. Her calm voice was a sharp contrast to her sister's but no less confident. And even without turning, he could picture that stern look he dubbed her _'I know you can do better'_ face.

But it was true - the young prince had spent weeks and weeks preparing for this and he _knew_ he could do better than this. Corrin could still remember all the hellish training exercises Gunter had put him through, could still remember the phantom pain of endless mock duels with Jakob. Nobody expected him to _win_ against Xander, but to land a single blow? Corrin _was_ confident that he could do so. And now with his friends cheering him on, how could he let them down?

Corrin took a deep breath, cleansing the haze of panic and uncertainty that had overcome him. His world narrowed to just him and Xander, and their swords.

 _Analyze. Assess the situation._ He was quickly tiring and he could hardly be expected to outlast Xander.

 _Conclusion?_ He needed to change it up. This course of action wasn't working.

' _Time to put some of my other lessons to use, then!'_

* * *

 _Prince Leo_

Off to the side, the maid sisters winced as they watched Xander sent their lord flying with a nasty-looking shoulder check. The crown prince of Nohr was truly a force to be reckoned with, one who earned his accolades through hard-fought battle, and it sure didn't look like he was pulling his punches despite this being a practice spar. The blond mage knight watching the spar with them merely sighed.

"Well, that's our brother for you. Though perhaps it's not entirely fair to expect Corrin to match up against the shining exemplar of Nohr."

Prince Leo truthfully didn't expect much else to the contrary. After all, he too had spent his entire life chasing after that enormous shadow cast by his brother. He could sympathize - Dusk knows he wouldn't even dare to match blades against his brother. He had turned to books and magic in his pursuit to find a path that Xander hadn't already trodden upon. So in that regard, Leo could praise Corrin's bravery in attempting to match the crown prince in swordplay.

Though, perhaps, he could also criticize Corrin for his foolishness in dueling Xander at his own craft. The younger prince hadn't even landed a glancing blow in this spar yet.

That was a little disappointing for the reclusive prince that his siblings had taken quite the shine to. And given Xander's praise for him on the trip to this gloomy fortress, Leo would have thought Corrin to be some sort of budding swordmaster. Leo suspected his sisters would be a little upset with Xander if poor Corrin was battered too much more than this. He sighed, and watched as Xander bested Corrin in yet another exchange of blows.

 _'I hope you've taken something useful from the last couple of weeks."_

* * *

 _Crown Prince Xander_

Across from him, Xander raised an eyebrow at the sight of Corrin abandoning all pretense of caution and dashing forward towards him with almost reckless abandon, sword poised for a wild swinging arc.

' _Surely, the little prince doesn't expect this to actually work?'_

Xander honestly had started to look forward to these practice spars - despite being cooped up far away from others, the young prince had taken to his tutorage with almost maniacal enthusiasm and drive. Though his visits were not quite as numerous as dear Elise, each time Corrin had shown visible and huge leaps in skill. While he was supremely confident in his own ability, he had honestly thought that Corrin would catch up to him in swordplay relatively soon. A small sigh, as he raised his blade for the _parry-step-strike_ that would end this bout...

The young prince launched himself backwards into the air, sword swinging as gracelessly as expected. That was still a predictable action and Xander had parried the blow with ease and stepped forward to punish his airborne brother who was wide-open to attack. There would be no escape as Corrin had committed himself into the air.

A tiny smirk was the only warning he got, as his eyes widened. Xander reeled backwards as a bolt of chilling frost struck his sword arm. Numbed, he heard one of the maids gasp, but had no time to see which one before Corrin rebounded off the ground and was once more within his guard. Without hesitation, he gripped his sword with his other hand.

The two princes stared at each other, each with their blades to the other's neck.

Xander was the first to break the silence, frowning slightly. "Bringing magic to a swordfight? And when did you even learn magic?"

A roguish grin. "You've never said our spars were limited to only swords. And brother Leo's been teaching me the last few times he's come by and Flora's been really helpful in between visits." Corrin then visibly deflated. "Even then, you still recovered so fast. You're really amazing, Xander."

The crown prince chuckled, as he sheathed his sword. "I suppose I did not set any rules to our spar. Well done yourself, little prince. I will concede that I was taken off-guard by that last move of yours. Truly, you're getting stronger every day. Mixing both magic and swordplay? If you continue to improve at the rate you are, someday, you will become the greatest warrior in all of Nohr."

Corrin's smile returned at that. "Thanks, Xander, but I think that's a bit too much teasing from you. And I definitely couldn't have done it without your and Leo's tough love anyways."

"I don't recall teaching you ice magics though. And we'll _certainly_ have to talk about how sloppily crafted that spell was. I thought I taught you better than that!"

Leo strode up to them with an expression torn between indignation and satisfaction, the maids following close by. Felicia visibly bouncing in excitement, while Flora smiled with an expression of pride.

"Ah, haha. Well, it was a pretty spur of the moment idea since Xander was beating me to a pulp, you know?" Corrin scratched his head bashfully. "You weren't here all the time, so Flora's been helping me out quite a bit with what she knows of the Ice Tribe's magic."

"Apologies, Lord Leo, but I'm afraid I'm not very good with the fire magics you were tutoring Lord Corrin in myself and Lord Corrin really wanted to practice while you weren't here," the mentioned blue-haired maid said. "Congratulations, Lord Corrin."

"Yeah, that was amazing! I'm so happy for you, Corrin!" Felicia cut in enthusiastically, the pink-haired maid almost jumping in excitement.

Sighing, Leo shook his head before turning back towards Corrin and Xander. "Fair enough, I suppose. We can work on it at some later date. But for now, well done, Corrin. Are you losing your touch, Xander?"

"Not at all. The little prince has certainly improved his technique at an astounding rate. I was genuinely caught off-guard with that little trick at the end," replied the crown prince.

The slight groaning of the rusted door was the only warning anyone had, before a princess-shaped missile barreled into Corrin.

"Whoa, whoa, easy there Elise! I'm still a little sore there!" Corrin laughed.

"You won, right? I was really worried about you, you know, but yayyyy, you won! I knew you could do it!" squealed the adorable pig-tailed blonde princess as she spun around Corrin. She stopped when Corrin winced, and turned to pout at Xander, "Big brother, you didn't have to hit Corrin so hard! Now I can't give him all the hugs!"

"I agree. Brother Xander is quite the brute. Do you need to lie down, Corrin? I can take extra-special care of you…"

Frowning, Xander turned to the speaker and said, "That's hardly fair, Camilla. He wouldn't learn if I went too easy on him and he's certainly proven that he's hardly one to be underestimated."

The lavender-haired woman that entered the room merely shook her head. "There, there, Corrin. Let your dear older sister take care of any bruises Xander gave you." Xander grumbled under his breath, a little indignant at his sister's ridiculous bias. She paused for a second, as she turned quizzically towards one of her other siblings. "Leo, dear, did you know that your collar is inside out?"

Xander glanced over to see that indeed, that was the case. Though judging by the smug look on Corrin's face, his opponent had realized the whole time and had just chosen not to inform poor Leo.

"W-what?! Ugh, why didn't anyone tell me earlier?!" Embarrassed, Leo rushed out the door amidst the chuckling of his siblings.

"That said, Corrin, Jakob has prepared quite a feast downstairs to commemorate the occasion," Camilla said. Eyes twinkling, she teased, "And I brought some more of the sugary treats that you liked so much last time. Though you will have to share them with Elise."

Corrin and Elise both cheered at that. Flora looked like she was going to say something, but ultimately decided to just resignedly smile as her lord and the young princess dashed out the room with childish glee. "Lady Camilla, you spoil them too much."

"But of course, it is the duty of the elder sister to spoil all her younger siblings!"

"And poke fun at your elder brother?" lamented Xander. Xander hung his head in defeat when his sister immediately, without hesitation, nodded cheerfully. He quickly perked up though. "Though, whatever the little prince's butler has cooked up does smell absolutely delightful. I dare say Peri might be interested in some of his recipes."

The crown prince of Nohr, along with Camilla and the two maids, exited the room to join the revelry downstairs with smiles on their faces.

* * *

 _Princess Elise_

"Really?! Father really said that?"

"Yep! Isn't that wonderful?! Now I can spend even more time with brother!" The excitable blonde princess giggled at the dumbfounded expression on Corrin's face. "I'm so happy, I can introduce you to Effie and Arthur and all the…"

Camilla patted her on the head. "Breath, Elise, breathe. But yes, Corrin, you can finally leave this drafty fortress. You won't be lonely anymore, stuck here and separated from the rest of the world..."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Corrin turned towards brother Xander and brother Leo, opening his mouth.

"Yes, yes, Father said that. You don't need to ask again, be more proud of your achievements! And really, I'm almost offended that you would think of us cruel enough to lie to you about this anyways." Leo exasperatedly preempted, tugging at his collar. Teehee, he's been really worried about that all day after Camilla pointed it out.

"Truly. Your growth has been a joy to watch and Father is quite interested in meeting you. I have, after all, only had good things to say about you," said Xander. Xander's always looking out for all of us, after all!

She turned to Corrin, smiling. Now he could finally leave this lonely place forever! Whenever Elise thought of poor Corrin, by himself in this gloomy place, it made her sad. He was always so interested in hearing her talk about her friends and all the little things like how yellow the sunflower she picked up the other day was. She didn't like that he couldn't do any of the things she did himself. And...

"Corrin?" Was he crying? Why are you upset? Elise walked over and gave him a hug. She always did when she came to visit Corrin.

Her brother wiped his eyes before patting her on the head. "I… I can't thank you all enough. Wow. Maybe I can join you all as a soldier of Nohr? I still can't believe it…"

Already, he was thinking of work and fighting and _boring_ things. Elise pouted. "Don't think about that yet, silly. I have to show you all around Windmire and all the stores and all the flowers-"

Camilla cut her off again. _Mouuuu_ , but Corrin really needed to see all of that. She needed to start plotting ways to get Corrin to play with her.

"We can iron out the details later, but no need to thank us. We're just as glad to be able to see you more," said Xander.

"Everyone…" Corrin swallowed with repressed emotion. "Thank you. I won't let you down!"

As if there was anything he could do that would ever! Silly Corrin!

* * *

 _Princess Camilla_

"Jeez, what's taking them so long? Brrr..." Dear Elise was positively shivering, poor thing.

Camilla glanced at the target of Elise's indignation. Dear Corrin was standing motionless at the gate, staring back at that _prison_ fortress he called home. She quelled the worry and urge to go over and hug him that rose in her heart. This would have to be something dear Corrin would have to come to terms with himself.

Though, she noted, it looked like she had nothing to worry about as her brother's servants gathered around him. Awww, the maids were giving him hugs...! How adorable. If only Camilla could be part of that! Or if Beruka and Selena could show a bit more affection like that... Perhaps she should spend more time with her lovely retainers herself?

Beside her, Xander was smiling at the sight of Sir Gunter and Jakob bowing to Corrin. Truly, dear Corrin had turned his servants into a second family. Camilla was almost a little jealous - though her brother deserved all the love he could get.

Oh? It looks like Corrin was giving a little speech to them! That's her brother!

Unfortunately, poor Elise really was getting a little too cold and impatient. "Hey, hey, hurry up, Corrin, hurry up! It's cold out here and it's a long ride!"

"How long are you planning on keeping us waiting?" She glanced to see Leo shivering too. It wasn't that cold, was it?

But more importantly, "Don't whine, dear Leo. It's hardly befitting of your station, you know?"

"Elise and Leo do have the right idea. We really should be on our way. We mustn't keep Father waiting too long." Xander, ever the serious one.

Corrin's face was like the sun as he turned towards them and even Leo couldn't help but smile at that. _'The rising star that will bring light to the darkness that shrouds Nohr" indeed.'_ Xander's words echoed in her mind.

Truly, her brother was destined for great things. And she would be with him as much as she could, helping every step of the way.

* * *

 **A/N:** This is mostly an idea that I've been unable to shake off myself for the greater part of a year. A retelling of Fates without the presence of Anankos or Lilith or any of the Deeprealm shenanigans. More importantly, no dragonstone - Corrin is just yet another royal here albeit one with pretty important ties to both Nohr and Hoshido. So this story won't adhere very strictly if at all to the canon story - I have no desire to retell the original story and it wouldn't make sense anyways without some of the dragon background.

I also haven't written anything in years, so any feedback would be greatly appreciated.


	2. Father

...

* * *

 **-= 02: Father =-**

* * *

 _'King Garon? I've heard from Auntie Elise that she heard from Uncle Leo that Grandpa was once a really nice guy. Uncle Leo used to get piggy-back rides from him, though Auntie Elise never got to do that. He used to be super brave and strong - everyone wanted to be like him. Papa was no exception. He grew up hearing stories about Grandpa, grew up thinking that Grandpa rescued him from a life on the streets and gave him a new family. More than anything else, Papa wanted to prove himself to Grandpa, that he was worth it.'_

\- Kana, on King Garon.

* * *

 _ **Castle Krakenburg**_

* * *

 _Xander_

"Xander has had nothing but praise for you, Corrin."

The intimidating figure that sat on the throne didn't bother with introductions or greetings. Clad in ebon armor, even graying hair did not reduce from the majestic aura that King Garon exuded. _Father._ Truly, Xander had ill-prepared his brother for the sheer force-of-will that was omnipresent in the King's presence. Corrin looked like he was trembling slightly. More than fair enough.

"And I hope to live up to those words, Father. Long have I wished to see you and visit Castle Krakenburg… I will prove that Xander was not wrong in vouching for me."

Xander watched the little prince. Even though it wasn't aimed at him, he could just _feel_ the intensity of the gaze, could picture that hardened visage measuring and judging. An all too familiar feeling. His brother truly was holding up better than Xander could have expected.

"You are quite… confident." A small pause, as the king turned his attention towards Xander. "But of course, Xander wouldn't have spoken of your diligence or skill if you were so easily intimidated."

A nod of acknowledgment. "Indeed. My brother is truly a rising star that will bring light to the darkness that shrouds Nohr." The praise flew from his lips without hesitation. Surely Father would also be able to see the brilliance of his wayward son?

Corrin weakly chuckled. "Ahaha… that might be a bit much, Xander." _Not at all, little prince._ "But I am aware of your expectations, Father, and I have trained every day to become more like my siblings so I can be of use to you."

His brother raised his head, meeting Garon's own with a familiar determination. The same look he wore when he asked for another round of sparring.

After what seemed like a brief eternity, the king finally spoke. "You certainly show promise. Very well." Garon rose from his seat, his armor clinking. "I don't doubt Xander's assessment, but I will see for myself the worth of your mettle."

* * *

"Father is direct, as always." Xander shook his head, bemused. He was quite proud of the little prince - it looked like Camilla and his servants had done a good job of teaching him proper etiquette.

Behind him, his brother nervously chuckled. "I suppose… though could you please ease up on the praise? I don't want Father to have absurd expectations for me."

Absurd expectations? "If that's truly your wish. Though, I meant every word I've said. If you don't believe in yourself, at least know that I do."

And it was true. From the first time he met Corrin, he was incredulous that his Father would send one of his children to be isolated in such fashion. He expected a lonely child, reclusive and withdrawn - perhaps a more severe case of Leo. He had hardly expected the bright star that garnered the instant affection of his entire family, the driven trainee that took to all of their lessons with fervor that the crown prince could only wish to hope to instill in his army.

The leaps and bounds Corrin made - truly, Xander could not have been a more proud brother. If anything, the crown prince mused, he was understating the growth Corrin had undergone. If only his brother could be more confident in himself...

They strode through the majestic halls of Castle Krakenburg in thoughtful silence as Corrin digested his statement. Rounding the corner, he caught sight of two familiar figures guarding an ornate portcullis. Xander was quite pleased to see them snap immediately to attention.

"My liege! And you must be Lord Corrin, pleased to meet you!" The silver-haired mercenary sketched a quick bow. "The name's Laslow, your brother's faithful servant."

"Yep! And I'm Peri! Nice to meet you too! It sounds like you're going to have a lot of stabbity-stab fun soon! I want to play too!"

The crown prince sighed, as Corrin quirked an eyebrow at the introductions. ' _I know you're trying Peri, but you're giving strange initial impressions to others.'_

"Indeed, these are my retainers. They can… be a bit of a handful sometimes, but I trust them fully with my life." Corrin nodded slowly at his side.

Laslow gasped and clasped a hand to his heart, as if an arrow had struck him. "Guh! My liege is ever so cruel." He straightened to attention at Xander's unamused look, though Corrin was laughing next to him. The mercenary's face took a more serious expression. "King Garon is already waiting inside, alongside Lord Leo and Lady Camilla. I wouldn't tarry too long."

Xander nodded, beckoning Corrin to follow. His brother followed him inside.

The arena was as wide and imposing as ever. The pile of debris in the middle of the battlefield was new, though Xander could sense the pulsing of a Dragon's Vein in the earth beneath it. Hopefully, Corrin would recognize the sensation as well - he doubt Father would have gone to such lengths to set up the rubble if he wasn't planning on testing that.

And waiting for them were his brother's retainers. Corrin looked a little surprised at that.

' _I see. So this is not just a personal trial, then.'_

Up on the balcony, the king silently stood, an imposing observer of the entire battlefield. Flanking him were Leo and Camilla, both wearing stern but worried expressions.

Xander turned to face his brother, pleased to note that Corrin was already scanning the battlefield with inquisitive eyes. Corrin jolted as he placed an armored gauntlet on his shoulder. "This is where we part. Remember your training, believe in your friends, and I've no doubt that you can overcome whatever Father has in mind for your trial. Best of luck."

Corrin gulped, expression unsure. The crown prince was satisfied by the determination that quickly replaced that uncertainty. "Thanks, Xander."

Xander nodded, and turned back towards the exit. He hurried to rejoin his siblings on the balcony - he definitely didn't want to miss whatever Father had in mind for Corrin.

* * *

 _Jakob_

A cough. "You'll be needing this, milord." Jakob presented a simple steel sword to his liege.

His liege took the sword with steady hands and twirled it a few times experimentally, just like he always did in their practice spars. And of course, his liege was quite pleased with the weight and balance - after all, Jakob knew his master's preferences more than anybody else and found a perfect match in the castle armory.

Corrin turned to face the king. "I'm ready, Father."

And as if he was just waiting for those words all along, the king nodded. "Bring out the prisoners."

The metal portcullis on the opposite side of the arena opened up, and a motley bedraggled group of Hoshidans trotted in. Jakob scowled as they aimed disrespectful glares at his lord - these filthy rats had no right to judge his lord so. But they were all armed, and Jakob had a feeling he knew where this was going.

"Prisoners from our most recent skirmish with Hoshido." Garon preempted. His lord's mouth was open to ask that very question, Jakob suspected. He took small joy in the fact that he could almost hear the grinding of teeth from some of the Hoshidans at that statement.

The king turned his attention to the prisoners.

"Hoshidans. If you can kill my son, I promise you I will grant you freedom and return you to Hoshido. However, if you fail, then your life is forfeit. He shall execute you himself."

' _What?!'_

He stiffened. To throw his lord into the fire in such a fashion…! Jakob recognized the sound of Felicia's gasp and noted Gunter's tightening grip on his spear. He glanced down at his own hands, and forced himself to relax his grip on his knives. It wouldn't do to break them before hostilities commenced.

The butler narrowed his eyes, raking over the prisoners quickly. Ten of them, five garbed in the traditional attire of Hoshidan samurai. Three with the ceremonial beads and masks that he recognized as indicative of the oni clansmen, though one of them had her mask atop her head. And a pair of ninjas, one garbed simply and the other in forest green.

Frustrating. Lord Corrin would be the only one to match up well against the three oni. His knives could perhaps hamper them or serve as a distraction, but with their numerical advantage, he doubted he would have the opportunity to do so for long.

The ninjas though… ' _Not a single one of you will even touch milord. This I swear.'_

The master turned towards them. Gunter raised a hand before Corrin even spoke.

"Of course, we shall accompany you. You need not even ask, young master."

Flora and Felicia nodded. Jakob flipped his knife out and smirked.

"Ready whenever you are, milord."

 _CLANG_! The metal portcullis on each side of the arena closed shut.

"Begin!"

* * *

"Jakob, behind me! Flora, Felicia, follow Gunter! We'll take the fort in the middle!" Oh?

"Erm, what fort, Co-Lord Corrin?"

"This one!"

His prince closed his eyes and grasped the air in front of him. ' _Ah. A Dragon's Vein. The bloodright of those descended from ancient heroes. It is good that Prince Xander had already taught him how to sense those then.'_ Corrin's fist clenched.

And the debris in the middle of the room exploded outward as an unknown force resonated within the earth, revealing a walled encampment with three entrances.

The Hoshidans gaped, but upon realizing the prince's entourage had already began moving towards the fort to secure favorable defensive positions, sprung into action.

"Nicely done, milord." Jakob commented as prince and retainer skidded to a stop next to the one of the fortress's entrances, facing the trio of oni clansmen. "Shall we?"

"Of course."

The clansmen charged, letting loose a coordinated battle cry. Corrin flinched, but quickly regained his composure as he took a deep breath.

 _Strike! Slash. Step back. Thrust and sweep._ His prince was grace in motion, sword lashing out again and again in a crescendo of steel.

Behind him, Jakob had let loose a volley of knives that embedded themselves in the charging oni who continued undaunted into Corrin's dancing blade. But there wasn't enough room for the three oni to all attack at the same time since they had taken position in the entrance of the fort. The white-haired oni woman snarled as she stepped backwards to give her two fellow warriors space to maneuver around Corrin's sword.

Jakob snarled as one club swing managed to graze the side of Corrin's face. He flung a dagger, causing the savage to abort his followup attack in order to dodge. The butler was grimly satisfied by the vicious rebuttal his prince dealt in that time. Corrin leapt backwards, as Jakob already started healing the numerous scratches that had accumulated. ' _Just like some of our training sessions, except with Hoshidans instead of the old man beating us down with any and every weapon ever.'_

The butler chanced a glance behind him, just in time to catch the sight of Gunter's spear impaling one of the samurai as a volley of knives from the two sisters dropping another in an unavoidable crossfire. Gunter and the maid sisters seemed to have the situation well in hand. He turned back, only to widen his eyes.

He had barely enough time to shout out an alarmed warning before a segment of the wall next to Corrin _exploded._ Wide-eyed, Corrin ducked underneath a flying shard of stone that could have taken his eye.

"Behold the might of the Flame Tribe!" Jakob scowled at the female oni's re-entrance into the fight.

And then his lord was fighting two foes simultaneously yet again. Though, this time, one of them had a club that was _on fire_ and left trails of flame in its wake. And with the impromptu destruction of the wall segment, both oni could attack him at the same time, clubs swinging in a deadly dervish of steel and flame. Even as he threw daggers, the female oni effortlessly batted away his projectiles in the same moves she used to corner the prince.

Jakob had enough experience against the Ice Tribe sisters to know that Corrin would not be able to fend off both of them for long. He would have to join the melee to alleviate the pressure on Corrin.

"Gahhhhh…!" Corrin gasped in pain as he was forced to step into a swinging club strike in an attempt to avoid the other _club that was on fire_. Jakob saw red.

"Milord!"

It was as if time itself slowed down as he watched his lord crumple. The butler launched a furious barrage of knives at the two oni even as he charged forward, forcing them away from the downed Corrin. The male oni failed to scatter in time, grunting as he was peppered by steel implements.

Springing to his feet, Corrin managed to get a decisive stomach slice on the male oni warrior, which Jakob quickly followed up on with a quick thrust of his dagger. His prince had a victorious grin on his face as he charged towards the last oni, even as Jakob was healing him.

Steel glinted in the corner of his eye and the butler aborted his healing as he dove.

Jakob tackled Corrin out of the way, who stumbled back into a standing position as a volley of shuriken flew past where his head would have been. The butler glanced upward to spot the green-clad ninja dropping down from his perch atop the wall. ' _Too careless!'_

"Nohrian. I am Kaze, and though my shuriken may not cut deep, they will assuredly bring about your death." This was directed at Corrin.

 _Unacceptable._

"You insolent…! How dare you speak of milord that way!" Jakob furiously shouted, clenching his staff in one hand while his grip on his knife tightened. As he regrouped with his prince, the silver-haired retainer observed the battlefield. It seems like Gunter was cleaning up fine on the other end.

Perfect. Even as he applied his meager healing skills to use, he had already resolved himself to his next course of action.

"I don't fancy my chances of dodging both shuriken and that flaming club," the prince murmured. "Can we split them up?"

Jakob scowled. "Leave the ninja to me, milord. I will make him regret every last word of his." And he would. Painfully.

Divide and conquer. Corrin sidestepped the oni's charge as Jakob sprinted towards the ninja who was forced to block with a shuriken that was meant to be thrown. The ringing of steel grew fainter as Jakob forced the ninja back out the walled encampment.

He would trust in Corrin once he could take this ninja out of the picture.

The two fighters circled around each other. It took all of Jakob's focus to not glance backwards at the battle raging behind him, but he could extrapolate from the sounds what was going on.

Another exchange of fire and steel. Corrin was trading blows. Not ideal, especially if the flames weren't ornamental. Jakob had no more time to muse on his lord's wellbeing as he was forced to step backwards to parry a diving thrust from the green ninja.

"Tch."

Jakob found himself being driven backwards. It was clear that he was… outmatched in terms of speed against this scoundrel, as galling as it was to admit. He would have to train harder in the weeks to come.

Which meant that he would have to rely on brute force and the fact that he could heal and the ninja across from him could not.

Abandoning all pretense of defense, Jakob grimaced as the ninja's shuriken gouged itself in his arm. He idly noted the ninja's surprised face - never in a hundred years would Jakob have let that blow normally hit him and the ninja had expected as much.

And his surprise gave the vengeful butler the opportunity to deliver a crippling full-force stab into the ninja's side.

The rest of the fight was academic.

Slash. Parry. Increasing desperation, as the ninja started bleeding out. Hop backwards and heal.

Less than a minute later, his foe was on the dusty ground, with a knife to his throat.

Applause, from the balcony. Jakob idly noted that the sound of battle had completely ceased. It sounded like everyone else was done as well.

"Well done! Truly, an exceptional performance!"

* * *

 _King Garon_

Garon cackled with glee. Xander truly hadn't been embellishing his reports. Somehow, the runt he isolated with a retired knight and the insolent Ice Tribe chieftain's daughters had displayed martial prowess befitting an elite knight of Nohr. The way that the prince worked with his retainers was also a pleasant surprise - an impressive display of loyalty and trust. Perhaps he should run more children through the same process? Certainly his army could use more warriors of this caliber.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Finish them."

The boy prince glanced uncertainly at the two remaining captives. "But… Father, they're already beaten. Surely there's no need to kill helpless prisoners?"

Garon scowled. "What a foolish statement. Do you think of them as helpless children? Finish it already."

Corrin fidgeted uncomfortably. "It just seems so wrong. There's no need to spill more blood…"

Xander stepped up as if sensing his growing frustration. "Corrin, they're soldiers of Hoshido. They've undoubtedly taken the lives of our fellow Nohrians. And they will continue to do so if given the chance. Father's right, they're not helpless children that deserve your pity."

Garon noted that the ninja's head had shot up at Xander's words, eyes widening with a spark of… recognition? But he turned his attention back towards Corrin.

Corrin tensed, glancing at the resigned expressions of both the prisoners. The old king watched him closely. Xander certainly hadn't mentioned that Corrin was a bleeding heart, though perhaps it was to be expected with how secluded the boy was. The prince pursed his lips, before turning his gaze back towards him.

"Father. In your words, you wish for me to execute them myself?"

' _Oh?'_ Garon nodded. That's more like it. Garon was pleased to see that the child he had no influence in raising wasn't completely spineless.

"In other words, I may choose any form of execution I want?"

Now _that_ was a surprising question and opened the door to all sorts of interesting thoughts. He hadn't taken Corrin to be the likes of Iago, who reveled in sadism and from the reactions of his other children, neither had any of them. The young prince's retainers also had questioning gazes towards their master, but Corrin's eyes were focused on him. Inquisitive and determined. It was a good look, the old king nodded in approval.

"But of course. You may execute them in any fashion you want. I must say, I hardly expected you to be interested in such alternatives though." Garon mused. "What shall it be? Quartering? Drowning? Perhaps setting them ablaze?"

Corrin took a deep breath, then turned to his prisoners who were now glaring at him with narrowed eyes. "Kaze, was it? I've read that Castle Shirasagi stands atop a sheer-sided mountaintop. Is this true?"

The old king blinked. He was certain he wasn't the only one, as a quick glance showed his children's befuddlement. ' _What kind of question is that?'_ The ninja slowly nodded.

Then Corrin turned to the oni. "Rinkah, are there any deep lakes in Fire Tribe territory?"

Yet another seemingly pointless question. "Of course." The oni bit out, clearly confused but still indignant. Garon narrowed his eyes. There was a cocky smile on the runt now.

"Then this is how I will execute them. I will have Kaze march up to the top of Castle Shirasagi and set himself ablaze. Then he will be launched via ballista into the mountainside. As for Rinkah, we can attach rocks to her legs and hmmm, use a catapult to launch her into the middle of the deepest lake in Fire Tribe territory. Yeah, I think that does it."

Silence.

Garon blinked. A horrified gasp from behind him.

And blinked again. Processed what the prince just said. The king idly noted that the young prince's retainers widening their eyes in terror.

A cold anger burned within Garon.

"Boy…" He slowly drawled, eyes narrowing. "Are you mocking me?"

The tension in the room could have been cut with a knife. But his insolent side-project had the audacity to continue onwards.

"Not at all. I have come up with suitable appropriate punishments for the prisoners I have personally bested. In accordance with your command. And I'm truly set on this method of execution, so I'm more than happy to wait until those lands are under Nohr's control."

' _Such defiance.'_

And as if a dam broke, his children started clamoring.

"Father, please forgive him! He doesn't yet understand our situation…"

"Please, Corrin, don't do this… My dear, sweet Corrin, surely…"

"I can execute them for you, Father, but I ask you to be merciful in your punishment…"

"Silence."

Garon turned. Brave, noble Xander, now looking like he was physically restraining himself from leaping down there himself. Motherly, worrywart Camilla who looked aghast at him, eyes pleading for mercy. Taciturn, reserved Leo, trembling with concern despite his endeavour to show otherwise.

And then eyes flickered back to Corrin. The young prince, Hoshidan-blooded but raised in Nohr. He had sometimes wondered how the child was turning out. He was a curiosity - nothing more than a side project taken despite Iago's counsel. He would let his other children teach the child.

' _Such insolence.'_

The insultingly flimsy excuse to avoid his appointed task. The complete lack of common sense to deny the king of Nohr.

Disrespect of the highest order. Xander, Leo, and Camilla surely didn't teach this kind of foolhardy stupidity.

This runt, not even of his own blood... How long has it been since he had been defied? He hadn't been sassed to like that in _years._

' _!'_

For the first time in years, Garon laughed, a deep rumbling belly laugh. He howled in mirth. Cackled hysterically. _'Oh, it almost even hurts!'_ His children were looking at him in confusion surely, but Garon only had eyes for Corrin, defiant and impudent _Corrin_.

"Guwahahahahaa! You insolent brat… You would really defy me over the trivial matter of two worthless Hoshidan prisoners...?"

Even without confirming it, Garon already knew. He had seen that same spark of stubbornness on the damnable samurai, even in his final moments. "You would. You really would... Buwahahahaha!"

Old Gunter gripped his spear with such intensity, Garon suspected it would snap in two if he clenched any harder. The Ice Tribe hostages were white-faced with terror, and the orphan butler looked ready to run. And through it all, that cheeky brat didn't take his eyes off him. Garon continued to guffaw amidst the nervous silence before finally managing to collect himself.

"Hoshidans. I'm feeling particularly merciful today, so I will have Prince Corrin execute you just as he says. Rejoice, for it seems like you will all live another day!" He turned to Corrin, who visibly sagged with relief. "Corrin."

The fool straightened. "Yes, Father?"

"Your impudence amused me. This time, I'll let it slide." Garon allowed his amusement to drain away, replacing it with the familiar countenance of _authority_. "Defy me again, and I will have you and all your retainers executed myself."

A shaky nod of acknowledgment as he sternly stared at the brat. Garon chuckled as he stood up. Restrained laughter gave way to loud guffaws once more, as he ignored the glances of his children as he exited the room, leaving only tense silence in his wake.

' _Guwahahaha! Sumeragi… your son has turned out to be a suicidal fool. But now, he's_ _ **my**_ _suicidal fool. I look forward to seeing your wife's face when she realizes who he is.'_

* * *

 _Corrin_

"That was not very wise, Corrin."

An exhausted Corrin raised his head from his arms to meet the disapproving gaze of Xander as the crown prince strode into his quarters. The rest of his siblings trailed in, eyes shining with a strange mix of concern and disbelief.

And it was hardly a sentiment that he disagreed with.

"No worries, Jakob and Gunter already elaborated on all the ways I messed up and how I'm lucky I haven't been flayed alive. I get it," Corrin groaned. And they had, really.

 _'Really, what possessed me to do that?'_

Elise bounded over towards him. "I heard from Camilla! But I think it was really brave of you! I think you did the right thing!"

Camilla frowned. "It may have been brave, but I doubt Father will forget you slighted him. Watch your step, dear brother."

"I'm still surprised Father let it go. Truly, you took to my lessons too much and started literally playing with fire," Leo remarked.

"Ahahaha…. Well, at least it worked out this time. I really didn't want to kill them, and you've always told me to stand up for my beliefs. Though I must admit, I'm still shaking a bit. Father is really quite intimidating," Corrin said. He suspected the others had been the recipient of such glares for a while and briefly felt relieved that he _didn't_ grow up in Windmire.

"Mark my words, Corrin… One day, an act of kindness may be the death of you." Xander looked at him, before shaking his head. "Though I suppose I wouldn't have it any other way."

Xander looked like he wanted to say more, but any further admonishment would have to wait as the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway outside. A knock on the door, before two familiar Hoshidans were escorted in. They were followed closely by a flamboyant-looking mage and an eyepatch-wearing rogue.

"As you have commanded, my lord, this keeper of darkness and your chosen protector has brought you the prisoners. Though the darkness seethes, though the treacherous hand of fate has informed me that great trials are ahead of you, know that this accursed fell hand of mine will annihilate your foes and bring you golden victory!"

' _What.'_ What? Was he speaking a foreign language?

The prince blinked. A quick glance showed that none of his retainers knew what in Dusk's name just happened, though Leo had his face in his palm.

At this point, the white-haired rogue sighed. "You're a damn weirdo, Odin. The sane version of what he said is that we've finished interrogating them and brought them here by royal decree of Lord Leo."

Leo merely sighed in response. "Indeed, these two are my retainers. Odin." Leo gestured towards the alien garbed in a yellow mage outfit. "Niles. They have their quirks, but I trust them with my life."

The rogue nodded at Corrin and his entourage. "And you must be Lord Corrin. I look forward to inflicting all sorts of pain alongside you."

"Indeed, Lord Leo has spoken most highly of you, Lord Corrin. Know that I will use my powers to expel those who wronged you from this world!"

Unsure of what to say, Corrin glanced at an exasperated Leo and amused siblings, before tentatively replying, "It's… nice to meet you too? I'm glad that my brother is served by such… interesting personalities." Okay, Corrin was weirded out, but he felt his confusion was pretty justified.

The thief smirked. "I may appear somewhat despicable, but I have the utmost loyalty for Lord Leo." Shaking his head, he turned to address said lord. "Incidentally, I pass along a message from Master Iago. It seems like King Garon would like to have his children meet in the war room as soon as possible."

Leo's eyebrows rose. "Oh? We shouldn't keep Father waiting then." The mage knight turned towards him. "This time, if you're going to pull off something rash, please have the foresight to warn us."

Corrin didn't even have a chance to respond to that before his purple-haired sister nodded. "I concur. With that said…" She turned to the two Hoshidans quietly listening in, forgotten amidst the conversation. The smile on her face turned downright chilling, and Corrin barely suppressed his shiver.

"My dear brother put himself in danger for the two of you. I will be… _most cross_ if you take advantage of his generosity."

"Indeed. Listen well. It is only my brother's kind heart that will bring your freedom. I will show no mercy if you endanger Corrin any further." Xander concurred, hand motioning towards his sheathed sword.

Corrin bashfully scratched his head as the two Hoshidans quickly nodded, though the oni turned away and grumbled under her breath. He really had the most overprotective siblings. "You don't have to treat me like a child you know, I can take care of myself."

The prince was a little offended that all of his siblings and his retainers raised an eyebrow at that remark. "Oh c'mon!"

Leo coughed, with a smirk on that damned face of his. "Delusional brother aside…"

"Hey, now that was uncalled for and just rude!"

"... we really shouldn't tardy around here much longer. Father sounds like he's in a good mood but he might not be if we all show up late."

 _That_ , everyone could agree on. Corrin turned towards his faithful knight who had silently watched over the proceedings. "Gunter, I can ask you all to keep a watch on Kaze and Rinkah right?"

"But of course, young master."

"Let's go, let's go, let's gooooo!" And Corrin was suddenly yanked off his feet by an incredible force. He gaped at the sight of little Elise tearing down the hallway with _his_ hand in hers, forcing him to sprint to not trip.

"Whoa, whoa, whoaaaa!"

"Looks like Hurricane Elise has struck again."

"It seems so. Shall we offer a prayer for our fallen brother?"

"Indeed."

"Don't kill me off already, you jerks!"

* * *

"Izumo, huh? I'm not sure whether I'm more surprised at the fact King Garon would willingly hold a diplomatic convention there or that the Lady Mikoto would have actually agreed." Gunter mused thoughtfully. "It is common knowledge that King Garon had her husband and child killed in the last diplomatic meeting in Cheve, after all. I wonder what could have possibly prompted the queen to change her mind now?"

Corrin shrugged. "Brother Xander was very surprised as well for the same reasons. And I certainly didn't expect Father to ask us to leave Windmire almost as soon as I got here." A thoughtful pause. "Father also didn't want us to bring too many retainers, so as not to appear too aggressive to the Hoshidans."

The old knight raised his hand, as if he already knew where the prince was going with that question. "I'm flattered you would ask this old fossil instead of the others first, young master, but I hardly think this knight would be the best choice."

The prince shook his head. "Unfortunately, Gunter, I'm going to have to insist. If you were going to say something along the lines of needing to repair your armor, we still have a week before we're set to leave."

Gunter caved. "Very well. Might I suggest that you also bring along Flora?"

Corrin hummed thoughtfully. "Why not Felicia or Jakob?"

His knight gave him an exasperated look. "As accustomed as you are to Felicia's clumsiness, I suspect it's not exactly the best image to present if you are to meet with Hoshido's royalty. And it gives Jakob the chance to try to shore up Felicia's abilities as a maid under careful supervision without Flora fussing over her."

"Point taken, I'll ask Flora tomorrow."

* * *

 **A/N:** And yeah, with that, we're already firmly off the canon track. And the prelude is pretty shamelessly modified from Leo and Elise's B-support. I should mention that my author notes will have marked spoilers sometimes? Not sure if this is really necessary, but just in case I guess?

SPOILERS BELOW.

Anyways, this is one way I might have imagined a fully human Garon might act, one that isn't just a slime-puppet of Anankos. He certainly had some valid reasons for instigating a war against Hoshido in Fates, but it was pretty quickly overshadowed by his caricature as a cartoon villain alongside Hans and Iago. All of the Nohrian royal supports hint that Garon was once a pretty chill guy, albeit one with quite the womanizing streak, and that he was once their ideal role model. This Garon is still bitter and jaded over the political infighting in his family, but without the alien influence of slimification, doesn't lose his genuine love of his children. So he's still a bloodthirsty warmonger, but not full-out cackling-villain evil. Let me know if this stretches disbelief too much.

I also said that I'm trying to stay away from the the more mystical elements of Fates like Lilith and the Deeprealms. This includes the dragonstones, which means no exploding Gangari and rage-dragoning in the middle of Hoshido. Rainbow Sage isn't a random deus ex machina that shows up and enlightens everyone (and poorly at that) either.


	3. Interlude: Chance

...

* * *

 **-= Interlude: Chance =-**

* * *

" _From now on, the young prince will be your master."_

 _A stern visage, hard as stone. The girl gulped, hands tightening around her sister's. She didn't really understand what was going on, but she was scared. Flora squeezed back._

 _The prince sitting across from her didn't look much older than she was, if at all. Hair as white as snow was the first thing that stood out to her - and then he looked at her with those ruby eyes and how was that burning stare not the first thing she thought of?! She trembled._

 _Her sister stepped forward, into the path of those eyes, as if shielding her. The relief of no longer facing those eyes gave way to panic._

' _Sister, sister!' She didn't know what she did wrong, but she didn't want Sister to get hurt! She was always messing up and Flora always saved her, but, but…._

 _And then the prince grinned, and it was as if a miniature sun had suddenly lit up the room. What was she so afraid of in the first place?_

" _Hi, my name is Corrin. What are yours? Will you be my friends?"_

* * *

 _ **Windmire**_

* * *

 _Felicia_

She wanted to cry.

Earlier this week, when she had fought with everyone, she had felt so _useful_ for once. Felicia was under no illusion that she was a good maid - she was always so clumsy, always breaking things. She tried _so hard_ to be just like Flora and Jakob, but whatever she touched was just _doomed_ to break.

But during that battle, where Lord Corrin could prove his brilliance to even that terrifying nightmare of a man… She felt like she was dancing on air, her body flowing so naturally, so in-sync with her sister. She could feel it - those graceful movements as she launched knife after knife. Flora had confided to her before that she was always a little envious of how naturally fighting came to her, how Felicia far outstripped her in battle - but how could that be true, sister was just being too kind to her, just like how she always covered for her when Jakob stomped up to her about yet another plate she broke in her clumsiness.

But _that_ was the first time Felicia truly and fully believed those words. It was as if a spirit took pity on her, and granted poor, clumsy Felicia otherworldly grace. Gunter praised her with newfound respect and pride, and even Jakob complimented her. She felt a little bad at the tinge of envy she sensed in Flora's eyes, but that didn't stop her heart from soaring at Flora's heartfelt admiration.

Most of all, she was just so happy when Lord Corrin hugged her and Flora and Jakob and Gunter. Her heart fluttered when he told them how proud he was of all of them, how thankful he was for their trust and service and duty and all those things as if he didn't deserve them. Was this what Flora and Jakob felt everyday, that beautiful sensation of wholeness and confidence and satisfaction? If she could be a better maid, if she could serve Corrin like her sister and Jakob could, would she be just as happy?

She resolved to try to do something nice for everyone. She was always ruining things, but for the first time, she felt like she could do _anything_. If she could fight with such grace, surely she wasn't completely hopeless?

The burned husk of a meal that was most definitely _not_ edible said otherwise.

' _Why does this sort of thing always happen to me? I've ruined ANOTHER meal! I thought I followed the recipe perfectly this time…"_

And to make it worse, the stifled shriek she let out when she lit a fire in the kitchen had woken up Flora. She wanted to just sink into the earth. If Corrin saw this, she just didn't know what she'd do.

But Flora didn't berate her. Her amazing sister just walked over and gave her a tight hug, and Felicia could just hear the unspoken words. ' _It's alright, it's not the end of the world, it's okay.'_

But it wasn't okay. She wanted to be a better maid. And Flora's endless forgiveness, unconditional love just made her feel worse. Jakob certainly wouldn't hesitate to give her a tongue-lashing. And justifiably so - what kind of maid couldn't cook at all?

"Why don't you just sit down for a bit, Felicia? I can take care of breakfast." Because she had failed, and just wasted more food.

Glumly, she turned around only to freeze at the sight of the Hoshidan ninja looking at her with… pity? Oh, how much lower could she sink that even her enemies felt bad for her cooking ability?

Swiping at her eyes, Felicia picked up the _failure_ of a breakfast and went to dispose it. Maybe she wasn't cut out for this kind of work, but every reminder of her ineptitude _hurt._ She wanted to be a good maid - to be able to mend clothes and make food and wash dishes.

"Oi, are you Nohrians always so wasteful of food?"

A brash, unfamiliar voice. Felicia blinked, turning to the speaker. Oh!

"Oh! U-uhm, Rinkah was it? I… messed up while cooking. This _thing_ isn't fit for anyone." Felicia hung her head.

In doing so, she missed the look Rinkah gave the ninja. An exhalation. "Don't be silly. If you don't want it, I'll have it."

' _What?'_

Felicia snapped her head back up, confused. "What? No, I mean, I burnt this and it's really not edible."

Rinkah merely gave her a flat stare. "That's for me to decide. You Nohrians are too picky with your food." And with that, the oni strode over and swiped the plate from her hands.

And before she could react, before she could protest, the oni started shoveling the food into her mouth. With her bare hands.

"H-hey, you don't have to force yourse-" She was interrupted.

"Pshhh. This is what you were worried about? It's fine."

Felicia glanced helplessly at the green-haired ninja, who gave her a slight nod. The maid watched with horrified fascination as the oni scarfed down the _thing_ she made like a ravenous wolf. Rinkah wiped the corner of her mouth before turning back to her. "It's not great, but you know that already. Like I said, you Nohrians are such picky eaters."

Kaze interjected. "And she means that. Rinkah is nothing, but blunt in her honesty." The oni scowled at that, and ribbed him in irritation.

Felicia swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. "I don't… I don't understand. W-why are you being so nice to me?"

An upturned eyebrow. "Should we not be? Your lord has been nothing but charitable during our stay here, and your dedication is quite admirable. And we are not so honorless that we can't recognize how your lord placed himself in peril to protect two of his enemies."

Before she could respond, before she could form the words of gratitude, Corrin entered the room. Spotting her and the Hoshidans, he gave a cheery wave before beelining towards them. Felicia almost fumbled her curtsy.

"I've already told you, Felicia, it's fine. You don't have to do that kind of stuff in private," said the prince. "Would you mind doing me a favor? My sisters are taking me to the tailor before I leave tomorrow and Flora's already insisted on coming along. Jakob and Gunter are still busy repairing their gear. I know you haven't had the chance to explore Windmire much either, but could you show Kaze and Rinkah around and let them purchase some sort of souvenir they can send home?" Corrin rushed his question as if he would forget if he paused to take a single breath.

Felicia blinked as she processed that. The ninja and oni were staring at Corrin with the same disbelief that she felt inside. ' _How can anyone be this... ?'_

But Corrin had asked her to do so, and even though he phrased it as a favor, she would be remiss as a maid to needed to thank the Hoshidans anyways. She smiled. "I would be happy to."

* * *

"Never fear, for the allies of justice have arrived! Evil never rests and nor shall I! I, Arthur, shall accompany you on this venture on behalf of Lady Elise."

"And I'm just here because Lady Camilla ditched me and I heard you all were going shopping with Member B. Carrying heavy bags is such a pain. Selena."

Felicia only barely managed to contain her surprise at the introductions. Lord Corrin had informed her that some of his sister's retainers would be coming along with, but as she stared at the red-haired pigtail mercenary and the grinning blond giant next to her, her mind was filled with only one thought.

' _Why are Lord Corrin's sibling's retainers so weird?! Wait… oh no! Do we seem weird to everyone else too?'_

As she fretted, Selena had all but dragged Rinkah and Arthur to a confectionary stall. She looked around the bustling market. Felicia almost startled when Kaze spoke behind her.

"I must say, I could have never imagined myself shopping in a marketplace in Nohr, let alone Windmire. Nor would I have guessed at how busy it could be - though I supposed marketplaces are the same no matter where they are."

Felicia let out an awkward laugh. "Eheh… I think you might know better than I do, since this is only the second time I've ever been to a market. I'm sorry, I'm probably not a very good guide."

Kaze blinked at that, turning from where he was quietly observing a parent chasing a rambunctious child. "Surely you jest? How… how do you procure things for your master?

The pink-haired maid flushed. "O-oh… I don't really do any of that… And Corrin and all of us lived in an isolated fortress for almost all our lives until the day we met you."

Felicia almost flinched from the sudden intensity in Kaze's eyes as he turned his full attention to her. "You… if I might ask, when did you start serving your master?"

"Uhm… from childhood. Co- Lord Corrin's mother died from unknown complications and King Garon… didn't have the attention or time to devote to another child." Wait, that can't have been it, could it? "...I think he was really concerned about how spread out... the guards would be protecting the five of them? I'm not really sure, though you could ask Sir Gunter if you want to know more."

Kaze looked a little pale. "Are you alright?" She hoped he wasn't getting sick. The ninja mumbled something.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that?"

Shaking his head, Kaze said, "It's alright, just a stray thought. That said, surely you know more of Nohrian baubles than I would, so if you would please…?"

* * *

"Stay safe, sister."

Felicia gave Flora a tight hug. Corrin and Flora would be leaving as soon as Corrin had squared away a few things with Kaze and Rinkah.

Her sister smiled. "But of course. Don't make too much trouble for Jakob while I'm gone, alright?"

Felicia pouted at that. They didn't have time to say anything more as Corrin entered the room with Kaze behind him, a small brown parcel in his hand.

"... sure he receives it. Did you have any difficulty in picking it out?" The prince was saying to the ninja.

Kaze sketched a small bow. "You are too gracious, Lord Corrin. And I couldn't have done it without Felicia's help."

Corrin turned to face them. "Morning, Flora, Felicia."

The sister curtsied. "Good morning, Lord Corrin." Flora nodded her head towards the exit. "Sir Gunter and Jakob have already prepared your horses."

The prince shook his head with mirth. "At this point, I'm not even surprised. And I went to the effort of waking up early too." Corrin complained halfheartedly. He leveled an amused look at Flora. "Do I even want to know how long you've all been up?"

Felicia and Flora looked at each other and grinned. "Probably not."

* * *

"It's strange."

"What, the fact that you haven't broken a plate yet? I admit, I'm surprised too." Jakob didn't even glance up from where he was washing some dirty plates. Felicia frowned a little - that was a little uncalled for.

She let out a wistful sigh. "No, not that, though please don't jinx it. This is the first time I've been so far away from my sister and Lord Corrin in a long time."

At that, Jakob paused. The butler turned to her, with a serious look. "And it won't be the last. As servants of Lord Corrin, we must be prepared to give our very lives if we must for our Lord."

Felicia shook her head. "That's not it. I know that, you don't have to worry about my dedication to Corrin. It's just that…" She scrubbed her dirty plate a bit harder. "It just feels like something's missing, you know?"

For a moment, there was nothing but the silence of running water and squeaking silverware. When he finally spoke, Jakob's voice was subdued, as he murmured, "Yes. I feel much the same way."

Before she could respond to that, the plate she was scrubbing shattered, the loud noise jolting both of them. "Oh no, that was the last one! I was so, so close…."

Felicia grimaced as she turned to Jakob, ready for the reprimand he was no doubt going to give. Instead, Jakob merely sighed and took the shattered silverware himself.

"I suppose that's all I could have hoped for."

Felicia blinked as the butler disposed of the trash. Jakob turned, with a small frown on his face. "Well? Did you not want to begin your cooking lessons right away? I've taken the time out of my schedule to mentor you at your request, you know."

Earlier sadness forgotten, Felicia beamed. "Yes, of course! I'll do my best!"

* * *

 **A/N:** A slowish, slice-of-life chapter? This was much, much easier to write than my half-assed fight scenes, doubly so since I didn't have to jump through a couple different perspectives. I'm pretty happy with how these scenes turned out - if the single-perspective chapter works out better, I might just go ahead and make this an official chapter and rewrite what I have. We'll see after I finish the next chapter - let me know if you have a preference!

Regarding pairings, they won't be an enormous focus in this work. Feel free to leave a note though if this is something you really care about - though I'm probably children won't show up in the main work and I already have a hazy idea of what I'm doing for some characters.


	4. Twilight

...

* * *

 **-= 03: Twilight =-**

* * *

 _Entry 44:_

 _Today, I spoke with an onmyoji who had once been part of Queen Mikoto's inner circle. Beyond the fascinating insights into Hoshidan talisman-based magic, she also shared with me the answer to a question I had long wondered about. Why did Queen Mikoto agree to meet with the Nohrian delegation that year?_

 _The diplomatic envoy King Garon sent that fateful year was the first attempt at negotiation since the disaster at Cheve. Queen Mikoto, understandably, was suspicious and hesitant of the King's motives. Why wait so long? Why hadn't there been any talks of peace for seventeen long, painful years?_

 _King Garon assuaged that by allowing her to set the meeting in Izumo, deep in Hoshidan territory and famed for their neutrality. Within Izumo, the king explained, the Nohrian delegation would be physically incapable of treachery due to her barrier. Or was she so unconfident in her own ability to think that he could assassinate her in the seat of her power? So it was that the Queen finally deigned to meet and consider talks of peace._

 _Tangentially related, my father's journal suggests that he was green with envy that Prince Corrin would get to travel with Princess Camilla for an extended period of time. He still hadn't gotten over his sister complex at the time._

\- Forrest, personal memoirs.

* * *

 _ **Riverside Village**_

* * *

 _Flora_

"Are you alright, Lord Corrin?"

She knew very well that he wasn't. After all, books could never convey the sense of hopelessness, the cloying feeling of apathy in the air. Could never prepare one for fallow fields, dried up brooks, and despairing children. Or the opportunistic scavengers that tried to waylay them. The ruffians didn't have a chance against the royal family of Nohr, but they were too late to save the merchants that had been traveling just a day ahead of them. Nevertheless, the prince had been uncannily quiet long after they arrived in the last village they'd stop at before they reached the border.

"I… I never imagined Nohr to be like this." Her lord, oh so idealistic and naive. "Windmire was beyond my wildest dreams, but this… People live like this…?"

As if to accentuate his point, a small child wandered into view. A street ruffian, a beggar. A plaintive voice asking for any spare gold that could be spared, for medicine for his mother.

Her voice hitched a little. Just imagining if that was Felicia…

She wanted to scream out. Rail bitterly at her lord. 'This is normal. This is what King Garon has done to subjugate his people. My people.'

But that was hardly fair to her lord. After all, he didn't know. And if she could help it, he would never know - that Felicia and Flora weren't kindhearted maids who loved him out of their own free will, but that they were bargaining chips, hostages that King Garon dangled over their father.

She observed as Corrin predictably made his way over and handed the child some gold. Watched as the joyous child ran off, matching Corrin's own expression.

As Corrin returned to the inn, she quietly murmured, "You are very kind Lord Corrin, but you can't provide for everyone." Her lord didn't respond, hands clenching. She knew. He knew.

Gunter cut in, tone pensive. "And it is for this reason that King Garon seeks war with Hoshido. While the lands of Nohr are bleak and craggy, Hoshido is full of fertile lands and life. Wildlife in abundance, strong harvests. Land that could be for the benefit of Nohr."

Flora watched, with no small degree of fascination, as Corrin visibly undergo the stages of grief at that statement. The repressed rejection that led to the deep sigh of acceptance… He spent so long back hom- in the Northern Fortress, reading and dreaming of a united world. Of peace and camaraderie, a self-professed interest in one day traveling all around the world.

Flora hadn't bothered shattering his dreams then. Hadn't revealed that she herself was a sign that future could never come to fruition. 'We were no more than slaves, even we who allied with Nohr. How could such a fantasy exist - how could Nohr and Hoshido coexist when Nohr is dying and Hoshido prospers?'

Even so, she wasn't surprised when Corrin lifted his head, determination blazing in his eyes. "And that's what we'll solve with this peace treaty. That's why we're here. That's why Father is here. Everyone wants that peace."

Bitterness was a familiar dagger that twisted in her heart. Flora was too jaded, too skeptic. Such a world surely couldn't exist.

And yet… she couldn't help but get swept along with her lord's conviction. And by the look in Gunter's eyes, she knew the old knight felt the same.

She was envious of such a world, envious of Corrin's boundless optimism, envious of Jakob and Felicia for their ability to trust in their lord so thoroughly in a fashion she could not.

She smiled sadly. 'Your kindness knows no bounds, my lord… and it will bring suffering to more than just yourself.'

* * *

 _ **Bottomless Canyon**_

* * *

 _Camilla_

"Ah, our escorts are here." Father's voice was like the rumbling of granite itself.

Finally. "Finally!" Thankfully, the lavender-haired princess didn't have to give voice to her own thoughts as her dear Selena did so with that adorable unrestrained irritation of hers.

Leo had long taken to the caravans and his books, citing that his presence was unnecessary anyways, accompanied by Niles. The mage of his, Odin, was sent scurrying after one too many boisterous shouts when Father leveled his classic glare at him.

Xander, reliable Xander. She would have thought him turned into a statue a few hours ago if she hadn't caught the small smile on his face as he watched Elise giggling as she was used as a weight for that pink-armored knight of hers. Xander had left sweet Peri back at the capital to avoid any poor impressions - though Laslow had tried hitting on Selena and her at least fourteen times while they were traveling. He would have a bruise from where Selena swatted him, she suspected.

And Corrin, always inquisitive, always eager. While they traveled through the wastes and passed through villages, she could feel the sheer weight of Corrin's empathy. Camilla had tried to distract him, and he certainly played along, but she knew the image of downtrodden citizens and fallow fields would haunt him for a long time to come.

That was something she needed to work on for the second half of this trip.

The faint sound of a scarf rustling. Camilla turned to see faithful Beruka, her ever-present shadow. If Beruka had chosen to do so, she could have moved next to her without making that sound. The princess smiled at the thought. Beruka was being more considerate by the day.

And then the the neighing of pegasi interrupted Camilla's introspection as a wing of Hoshidan Sky Knights flapped in the air above them. Such beautiful beasts - though they couldn't compare to her beloved Marzia. She idly stroked Marzia's throat as she thought that, the wyvern letting out an appreciative snort.

"Nohrian delegation! I am Princess Hinoka of Hoshido. Know that if you engage in any trickery, my sisters and I will end you!"

Camilla didn't know that the famed warrior princess of Hoshido was such a spitfire. She was adorably serious in the way she announced that too! It reminded the lavender-hair princess of when Elise tried to demand her for playtime.

Even without facing him, she could hear her father's eyeroll. "You're welcome to try, but that's what your Queen's barrier is for, is it not?"

He was not responded to. Garon turned towards them and nodded. Well. That was her cue.

Camilla gracefully mounted Marzia as Beruka mounted her own wyvern next to her. She waved at her siblings. "Well, I'm off to Hoshido! I'll try to bring back souvenirs! Try to keep a leash on everyone, alright Leo?"

Was that a blush on Leo's face? It was! "No need. Just come back safe. That goes for you too, Corrin. I'll try to reign Elise in while the two of you are gone."

Corrin must have seen the same thing she did, because that was an honest-to-goodness smirk on his face. "Stop being such a worrywart, Leo. We'll be fine. Elise, stay good for Xander and Leo, alright? I'll promise to play with you as soon as I get back."

Dear Elise pouted. It was adorable. "Stop treating me like a kid! Leo, stop being mean and stupid! ...You better keep that promise though, Corrin!" She turned towards that knight of hers. "Okay, Effie, lift me up so I can smack Leo for being a jerk!"

The ensuing comedy routine was interrupted by Xander. "I trust in you to represent Nohr to the best of your ability." Oh Xander, always so serious.

Camilla chuckled. "That goes without saying. And if dear Corrin needs help with his etiquette, big sister Camilla can teach him anything." She watched Leo carefully as she drawled out the last word.

Yep, that was jealousy. Oh Leo. And in that brief moment of distraction, Elise managed to bop him with her staff. Never let your guard down, dear brother!

That man's disgusting voice made an unwelcome entrance into their pleasant conversation. "Prince Corrin, Princess Camilla, if you are done with your farewells? King Garon should not be kept waiting." The snake, with his glorified bear at his side. Ugh.

But as much as she hated to admit it, Iago had a point, so she waved one last time before nodding at Selena. Then, she took to the skies, with Beruka following close behind. Ah, the rush of air never got old - and by the sound of the warble Marzia made, her partner thought the same.

The two wyvern riders waited until Father's group started crossing the narrow bridge before glidng leisurely into the middle of the pegasi formation.

A cheery wave at the red-haired Hoshidan princess, "Princess Hinoka. I am Princess Camilla, and I suppose my dear Beruka and I will be in your care."

Camilla noted that the princess had stiffened at that declaration. "Very well. Please follow my sisters and I." Not so used to formalities? Camilla filed that away in her mind as she complied.

They had hardly flown a minute before a suddenly alien sensation flooded her very being. Besides her, Beruka stiffened as if jolted, and Camilla herself suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of serenity.

She idly wondered if she could… 'Oh but why would she need her axe?'

Camilla blinked.

Well. What an overwhelming mental compulsion. Truly, Queen Mikoto was someone to be feared. She idly noted that her hand had placed itself far away from the handle of her axe. The princess had no idea how such a thing would even work - Leo could probably spend days poring over this kind of thing.

On second thought, hadn't Leo been looking at old books detailing Hoshidan spellcraft…? Camilla shook that stray thought away.

Well, this had all the makings of an interesting journey. Perhaps Princess Hinoka would be interested in sharing her hobbies? She nudged Marzia to move a tiny bit faster and grinned as the Hoshidan princess stiffened when Camilla started flying adjacent to her.

"Hello Princess Hinoka. By any chance, do you sew?"

The Hoshidan princess's dumbfounded expression was even more than she could have hoped for!

* * *

 _ **Countryside**_

* * *

 _Sir Gunter_

"What a beautiful land." The young master was enamored with the sight of the Hoshidan countryside, and the old knight could not find it in himself to disagree. Young Flora was also quite wide-eyed, though she kept shooting wary glances around her.

Rolling, vast hills a shade of green that could never be found in Nohr. It reminded Gunter of better times. He shoved that particular track of thought down. It was supremely unhelpful.

He mused over the change in Corrin's demeanor as they journeyed from Nohr to Hoshido. It was really quite a stark change.

The Nohrian delegation had a slowly-forming Hoshidan honor guard around them as they proceeded through the countryside, a few samurai or clansmen joining in every village. The young master had initially tried talking with some of them, but was turned away on principle.

A little saddening, but not unexpected. He could hardly blame their caution.

Regardless, the lush lands of Hoshido seemed to have truly caught young master's eye, and his enthusiasm was infectious - he had caught the proud glances of many a samurai near his lord even if they wouldn't deign to respond to Corrin's questions.

A raspy laugh caught his attention.

The veteran glanced over at the smirking Nohrian king, accompanied by a stony-faced samurai. Prince Ryoma hardly looked pleased at escorting his father's murderer, to say the least - and wasn't that a sentiment he could empathize with. And it looked like he was struggling to keep his composure when Iago and Hans were actively riling him up. Gunter sighed.

'Well, at least that confirms the queen's barrier doesn't carry over to verbal aggression.'

This was going to be a long trip. He hoped the young master didn't tire of the scenery anytime soon - the Hoshidans weren't likely to provide entertainment.

* * *

 **A/N** : And that's the end of the stuff I'd prewritten at least a bit. I've mostly determined how the rest of this is going to work out - I will be limiting the perspectives to Corrin, his retainers, and the royals since I have neither the desire nor the ability to write more perspectives in a convincing fashion. Any feedback on any of the perspectives written so far would be pretty great!

Next chapter: **Mother**


	5. Mother

...

* * *

 **-= 04: Mother =-**

* * *

 _'The way I heard it, the main reason for why Nohr twiddled their fingers for so many years was because of Grandma Mikoto. Sure, most of the country was mourning alongside her when Grandpa and her kid got killed on a diplomatic mission, but Grandma... Hm… I'm no onmyoji, I'd probably have to ask my friend Mitama for exactly how amazing it was, but Grandmother put up a huge barrier. All-of-Hoshido huge. Anybody from Nohr that walked into Hoshido? They'd lose the will to fight. Grandma was incredible. The Nohrians couldn't touch us after that. How could they, when they couldn't even wave a weapon anywhere in Hoshido? They sent the Faceless - basically mindless zombies that you poke a few times and they'd fall apart - to go 'round that. Dad would go out occasionally and chop them up to bits and that'd be that. Nohr couldn't touch us, so long as Grandma was around.'_

\- Shiro, on the Great Barrier.

* * *

 _ **Izumo**_

* * *

 _Corrin_

It was as if he stepped straight into a painting. Or perhaps even another world? The countryside of Hoshido had been beautiful, but this…

"Izumo has been long known to be the kingdom of the gods… Even so, the tales do it no justice." Flora's voice was tinged with the same barely-repressed wonder that Corrin felt himself. Truly, such a picturesque scene - it stole his breath away.

Besides them, Gunter added, "Indeed. Despite war raging around them, despite the quarrels of outside kingdoms, Izumo has remained neutral and peaceful throughout. This place is one truly that has been untarnished by war..." he trailed off thoughtfully.

"So this is truly what peace might feel like… It's so… calming and serene." Even as he spoke, as they proceeded towards the majestic castle in the center of town, Corrin could see the wave of palpable relaxation that had overtaken everyone. Even their Hoshidan bodyguards had relaxed, hands dropping from their sheathed blades.

It felt like home, like nothing could go wrong. As if nothing could possibly trouble him, as if all the worries in the world could just melt away. He could drink in this sight forever.

A gruff, but not unkind voice cut through the fog of wonder. "Nohrians. You should hurry up - the rest of your delegation has already moved on."

Corrin blinked. Apparently he had stopped in the middle of the street to gawk - somewhat awkward considering Father and Camilla had already started down the road. And civilians were turning to stare at him in particular.

He turned to the samurai who spoke, a stern-looking but relaxed looking man with the traditional headgear of a Hoshidan swordmaster. "Many thanks, master samurai. I was just lost in the splendor of the sights." He bowed. The swordmaster snorted.

"Those who first lay their eyes upon the majesty of Izumo oft feel that way. You would not be the first, nor will you be the last to be so awestruck by the city of the gods."

And with those words, their escort began moving once more and Corrin had to lengthen his strides to catch up. He threw one last glance at the peaceful city around him, resolving to burn the image within his mind forevermore.

'So this is what peace looks like… This is what we are all striving for, for Nohr to be like this. Then that shall be my goal - to one day see the lands of Nohr be akin to this distant utopia."

* * *

"Hello there! Greetings and salutations! I am Archduke Izana, first heir to the divine bloodline, descendant of the gods and winner of best hair... five? Six times? I forget." The… interesting self-proclaimed archduke turned to an amused aide.

"Six times, my lord." The archduke lighted up, clapping his hands.

"Ah, that's what I thought! Not to brag, though! I digress. It's so nice to finally meet you all! I imagine your journey has been quite difficult and long - truly to travel this entire way from Nohr! Welcome to my not-so-humble abode and I must insist that you take the time to kick back and relax! Izumo is a wonderful place, one you could stay in forever!"

And Corrin certainly wasn't going to deny that last proclamation - he really could stay here forever if he had the opportunity to. Amusingly enough, the archdukes' carefree joy was infectious. Corrin noted with a mirthful grin that even the stern Hoshidan warrior prince, who had been seemingly frowning the entire trip, had relaxed. The blue-haired and quiet wyvern knight, Beruka, had her eyes closed with a small content smile on her normally blank face. Camilla was torn between looking amused and confusion. Only father and his adjutants could resist the pandemic of cheerfulness that had swept the group.

The archduke, huh? The initial trepidation and incredulity had faded. Although he was a little… strange, and his way of speaking was… as Leo might put it, "disgustingly casual," Corrin found that he could believe that the man before them was a ruler. It wasn't the same sort of charisma Father had, that overwhelming pressure of force and majesty that demanded one's respect. But it was charisma all the same - the laidback casual acceptance of one who allowed himself to be swept along by the river of life, and the infectious aura of airiness about him that allowed those nearby to feel the same.

The prince could see how such a man came to be ruler of the land of Izumo. And he allowed himself to hope, as the archduke ushered them in, that such a man could facilitate the peace between Nohr and Hoshido.

* * *

Corrin's first sight of her was merely in passing. Long, luscious hair the color of the midnight sky a stark contrast to robes that were almost ephemerally white. She exuded a feeling of… compassion? Grace? Whereas Father's aura bludgeoned those around him with majesty and force, while Izana's swept everyone with his carefree attitude towards life… Queen Mikoto of Hoshido made him feel like he could tell her anything, like a mother he never had. If Corrin had to put it into words, he could only describe the sight as a physical goddess, descended upon the earth to listen and to bless all those around her.

Flora had teased him when he described the queen in that way. Curse his unthinking, traitorous mouth! The blue-haired maid always knew how to slip under his guard. One day…!

Embarrassing thoughts aside, two days had passed since they first arrived in beautiful Izumo. The peace negotiations had begun almost immediately, at first consisting only of Garon and Iago. Today, Camilla had also joined Father in the negotiations - Corrin's presence was still unneeded thus far. From Father's mood, the prince surmised the negotiations weren't going great, but progress was being made.

It was a little disheartening, since Corrin felt a little useless just lazing around. But as the most expendable prince of Nohr, he supposed that was the point. He jolted as a glove-covered hand jabbed him in the side, wincing as he turned to face the scowling red-haired perpetrator.

"Stop pitying yourself! You're a prince of Nohr, act more like it!" The mercenary looked annoyed. "Jeez, Lady Camilla would wring me out if she heard the one time she let you out of her sight, you started moping!"

"I must concur, Lord Corrin. Such an image is ill-befitting someone of your stature. What would the Hoshidans think, if they saw you?" Ouch, Flora was teaming up against him.

The prince let out a small cough. "Ah, I apologize. I guess I was just… not really sure why I'm here I guess? I mean, I'm glad I am. Izumo is beautiful and I wouldn't miss this sight for the world. But… it kind of just feels like I'm just a hanger-on right now, you know? Father hasn't actually needed me for any part of the negotiations so far."

Flora lay a reassuring hand on his shoulders at that, while Selena's eyes softened a bit. There wasn't really anything to say about that - every member of the diplomatic revenue aside from the guards and retainers had already entered the conference at least once, aside from Corrin.

Then, Camilla's servant's eyes narrowed once more. "Well, even if all that were true, you're still basking in the presence of two lovely young ladies, you know! You could stop treating it like it's the end of the world - it's not very good for a poor maiden's self-confidence!"

Ah. "I apologize, I didn't realize I was bringing your mood down so much. I just don't really have anything to do..."

It was as if a proverbial switch had been flipped. Selena's mood did a complete one-eighty at that, as she sprung to her feet, irritation vanishing in favor of almost frenzied excitement. "In that case, you should come with me while I go shopping for a yukata!" 'What?'

Seeing his bewildered expression, Flora answered his unspoken question. "I believe that it is a type of formal Hoshidan dress."

Selena smirked. "Yep! They're totally cute. I want to get one for Beruka too. And since Member B isn't here, you can be my baggage mule!"

Member… B? His lips quirked upwards. "Don't I have a say in this? I thought I was the prince here." Even so, he stood up as Flora wiped off some leaves that had fallen on his shoulder at some point.

"Uh, no? Duh? You were just going to mope there so I took the matter into my own hand and gave you something to do." What a charming personality. "You know, most people would BEG for a chance to go shopping with me."

Corrin caved. "Alright, alright, you got me. Lead the way, Selena."

He shivered at the sudden unholy light that shone from the red-haired mercenary's eyes at his surrender. Why was he feeling a creeping sensation of doom?

* * *

Corrin was exhausted. More exhausted than he'd ever been. The path was a lie. The castle was so close, yet so far…!

It started off alright. The prince initially found himself wandering into some stalls offering all kinds of trinkets and antiques. He had found some simple, but pleasant-looking handcrafted charms in one stall. He ended up buying five - a crossed dagger design for Jakob, a shield for Gunter, a teacup for Felicia (okay, maybe he was being a bit too optimistic but hopefully with confidence grows ability…!), a snowflake for Flora, and one with the emblem of Nohr for himself. Even this deep in Hoshidan territory, to think that people were interested in Nohrian trinkets…

He didn't remember what happened next. The next few hours were a blur - as he was dragged along by Selena, who twirled around different clothing stalls like a butterfly in a hurricane. An unstoppable force of nature, the tornado goddess of shopping…!

And that's how Flora and Corrin ended up with a veritable mountain of goods on their backs as they slowly trudged behind an only-slightly-guilty-looking shopping hellion.

In fact, they'd been gone for so long that the sun was beginning its slow descent, casting Izumo in a radiant shade of vivid orange. The unbelievable weight of everything Selena purchased eased as he took in the sights.

'I've seen it twice now, but even so… the sunsets of Izumo are truly otherworldly.'

Lost in thought, he almost crashed into an unmoving Selena, who was staring at… a wing of Hoshidan sky knights with a hint of wistfulness?

"Are you alright, Lady Selena?" Flora asked.

Camilla's servant startled, then gave an unconvincing laugh. "Ahaha… just feeling a bit of nostalgia, that's all. I never bothered, since I didn't want to follow in my mother's perfect footsteps, but I've always wondered what it would be like to soar in the sky…" she trailed off.

Right. Selena wasn't actually from Nohr - she had just shown up in Nohr one day, a traveller from a distant land.

The red-haired swordswoman shook her head, twintails bouncing before he could offer a word of comfort. "Sorry, I'm not usually like that. Let's get back inside before Lady Camilla starts looking for us on wyvernback."

As they approached the front gates, two Hoshidan ninjas appeared seemingly from nowhere, stern expressions on their faces. The prince wasn't quite sure, but weren't they the two always at Prince Ryoma's side…?

The red-garbed ninja spoke. "...Nohrian prince. You've worried your own sister a great deal to the point that we were sent like errand boys to find you." Huh. He had a scar on one eye. Weren't shuriken pretty hard to aim already?

Then the prince registered the hostility he detected and blinked. Flora bristled on his behalf. "Careful, master ninja. My lord is not to be spoken to in that way."

Selena placed her hands on her hips in agreement. "Yeah, who are you to be bossing us around?" Then she waved her hands. "Actually, never mind. I don't care about the opinion of a jerk like you. If you want to be helpful, take those bags off the prince's shoulders and bring them to Lady Camilla's room."

The prince could have sworn the red-clad ninja was going to erupt. "You...!" But the kunoichi at his side placed a calming hand on his shoulder and the two stepped forward to relieve him and Flora of their loads.

The rest of the walk to Camilla's room was uneventful and fraught with restrained tension. Selena opened the door and peeked inside. "Oh, it looks like Lady Camilla's still out with Beruka. You can leave the bags here."

Grunting, the two ninjas set the bags down. Selena turned and winked at Corrin. "Well that's my stop. Stop being such a stick in the mud - Lady Camilla gets really upset when you're sad, you know!" Was that Selena's way of expressing concern?

A suspicious glare was then leveled at the two Hoshidans. "Actually... on second thought, do I need to walk you back to your room? Lady Camilla would be pretty upset if something happened to you." The unspoken distrust of the Hoshidan ninjas were clear in her biting tone.

Huh. His sister really found quite a loyal servant, if one disregarded her eccentricities.

The kunoichi, silent all this time, finally spoke up. "Lord Ryoma ordered us to help find the missing prince. We are not so honorless to break a truce over your pointless goading."

Said words seemed to calm down the red ninja, who was positively bubbling over with rage. The prince sighed. "Thanks for the offer, Selena, but I think Flora and I will be fine. It was… fun shopping with you today." With a slight bow, he turned and started heading towards his room, Flora and the two ninjas still trailing behind him as Selena waved and shut the door behind her.

* * *

"Well, I believe this is our stop. Please pass along our thanks to Lord Ryoma - I appreciate the gesture of goodwill."

The two ninja nodded stiffly at that and turned to leave. Hmmm… actually, wait a second...

Didn't Kaze say his brother served Lord Ryoma and usually wore red?

"By any chance, are you Kaze's brother?"

Corrin wasn't quite sure what happened, but Flora was suddenly standing in front of him as the ninja teleported to him. "... Master ninja, please refrain from attempting to lay hands on Lord Corrin."

Oh. She had caught a tightly clenched hand that probably would have been aimed at his throat. Flora was really quite incredible. At the same time, the female ninja had quirked her head as if she were trying to remember something. He was no expert lip-reader but the prince could have sworn that she mouthed his name.

"...What have you done with my brother, Nohrian?"

The prince swallowed. That could have been dangerous. "Er… nothing actually. So you are Saizo right?" A grudging nod, as the ninja relaxed and slipped out of Flora's iron grip. "He's alive and well, although in my custody, I suppose? He actually asked me to pass something along to you. Give me a second."

"That won't be necessary, young master. I believe this was the gift." And suddenly Gunter was there, with Kaze's tiny parcel. Wow, this doorway was getting a little crowded.

Saizo glared at the package as if it were an explosive of some sort, before slowly reaching out to take it from Gunter's hands. "...If what you say is true, Nohrian, then I owe you a debt for saving my brother. But Gods help me if I find out you were lying…"

And with that, the two ninja vanished, as if they were never there. Seriously, how did they do that?! Corrin resolved to figure out the physics of ninja vanishing techniques before the conference ended.

* * *

 _Queen Mikoto_

This was going nowhere. The queen sighed. Garon's terms, though initially reasonable, had grown more and more ridiculous with every concession she made.

Garon must have known that, because he chose that boiling point of frustration to beckon someone inside.

"And with that, I'd like to introduce my son, Prince Corrin."

Her mind blanked. Corrin?

It can't be...

A white-haired youth entered. It was the same one she had caught glancing at her when she occasionally passed the Nohrian quarters. The Nohrian prince who she hadn't known the name of until now. It was…

"I am Prince Corrin of Nohr. Nice to meet all of you, I hope we can all get along."

Her son. Her child. Her baby. She had thought him dead all these long, painful years, but…! The queen sat ramrod straight as her Ryoma and Hinoka stiffened besides her.

Mikoto couldn't restrain the weak sobbing sound from escaping her throat.

Corrin. Corrin. Corrin, Corrin, Corrin…!

Stared at her beloved son, as if he was a mirage, a cruel trick. How did she not see it sooner? Then her beloved Corrin raised his head from the polite bow and her voice caught in her throat.

The queen's heart shattered at the lack of recognition that gave way to uncomfortable confusion in those ruby eyes as he met her gaze. He didn't recognize her. Didn't recognize Ryoma, didn't recognize Hinoka, didn't recognize his own mother…!

"Is something the matter, Queen Mikoto?"

That voice. So smug, so…

Queen Mikoto reluctantly tore her gaze from her alive son to face the speaker. The tactician. Iago. He knew. And… of course. King Garon knew. They did this, they stole her child…!

"...Corrin…" Her poor Hinoka sounded close to tears.

Corrin looked uncomfortable and hastily bowed deeply. "Uhm, I'm really sorry if I offended you! I'm not very familiar with Hoshidan greetings an…"

"...Brother…finally, after all these years… I've missed you so much..."

And Corrin froze. She could hear the screeching incomprehension as his mind ground to a halt. Could hear the absolute terror and confusion he felt, despite the sound of the Nohrian delegation leaping to their feet.

"Princess Hinoka, Corrin is my brother. Whatever are you suggesting?" "What's the meaning of this?" "Are you claiming the prince to be…" She watched, idly and almost without care, as tempers flared and the meeting devolved into chaos.

There was a voice inside her, that demanded retribution. Outrage that the Nohrians would dare stoop to such a level. A cold, simmering anger that the they would feign anger when her family was the one wronged.

But most of all, the queen felt sorrow - for her children, for Corrin, for herself, and for the family that hadn't been whole for seventeen long years.

* * *

"You wanted to see me alone, your highness? Er… Queen Mikoto?"

Her son sat across from her, in her room. Besides him, an old Nohrian knight and a blue-haired girl that she recognized as part of the Ice Tribe. Presumably, they were his servants.

Ryoma and Hinoka - they had not taken the revelation well. And… no matter how much she wanted to rage at the world, she remembered what Corrin had said when he first entered the room, an echoing reminder of her failures. The true indignation that the lavender-hair princess displayed at Hinoka's proclamation.

'I am Prince Corrin of Nohr.' Nohr. Nohr. Not Hoshido. Nohr...

"Mikoto will be fine, for now." Mother would be better. "...I cannot believe that it is really you…"

Corrin flinched. "I'm sorry, Queen Mikoto, but I believe you and your family are confusing me with someone else."

The queen shook her head. "No, Corrin, my sweet child… I would recognize those features anywhere. You've grown up to be such a handsome young man…"

"Queen Mikoto, none of what you are saying makes sense! I was born and raised in Nohr - Xander is my older brother, and Leo, Elise, Camilla are my siblings…" Mikoto's heart ached at the vehement denial.

It was a confirmation of her greatest fear. Her son had a family, a new family, and it wasn't hers. Hinoka and Ryoma… they would be heartbroken. She was glad she asked them to let her speak with Corrin first.

"No… in all honesty, I thought you to be dead. Killed, alongside my husband when King Garon betrayed the terms of a peace conference at Cheve. To think, that they instead abducted you…"

The maid quietly interrupted. "Lord Corrin is understandably confused at your suggestion. You would turn his world upside-down if this was true. Do you have any proof that this occurred?"

"Do you truly not remember any of this? Not even a single memory?" Her hopes were quickly dashed, as Corrin shook his head.

"No. Honestly, I have only the vaguest memories from my early childhood… my first real memory was when I was introduced to Gunter…" Her son's face scrunched in concentration. "No… well… sometimes I feel like I've dreamt of something beneath a surface. But it's blurry - nothing of substance."

But there was something? Maybe…

She turned to the old knight. "Sir Gunter… please, if you know anything... I speak to you, not as a queen, but as a hurting mother."

The knight looked quite torn, expression flickering between suspicion, sympathy, and… anger? "...As far as I know, the young master's mother died in childbirth and King Garon had not the time nor the resources to raise yet another child safely. I was entrusted with young master's care maybe a year after when the peace conference was - I did not ask anything at the time and I do not know who the mother was... or if King Garon was even telling the truth."

A year…? That couldn't have been a coincidence. Then, she was right and this truly was Corrin standing before her, after seventeen years of anguish. With newfound confidence, she turned back towards her son.

"Please take a look at this." She unclasped a locket she hadn't dare open in oh-so-many years. Slowly, Corrin took the beloved memento from her hands with his own shaking hands. Mikoto wanted nothing more than to clasp those hands in her own, but refrained from doing so as her son lifted the tiny golden pin and opened the locket.

"A… picture…? No, wait…"

She smiled. "Yes. A picture you drew when you were a little boy. This is your father, this is me, and that's you. I've kept it close to me all these years in your memory…"

Her son looked up at her, expression torn. "I...I just don't know how to respond. I… feel like I might have seen something like this, but it's all so blurry - it's so hard to believe that I could be your child, but I don't believe you're trying to lie to me."

Her son was trying. And that's all Mikoto could ask for. "I understand, Corrin. Please don't worry about it. I'm just happy to know that you're alive and well."

A deep bow of apology. A stranger's apology. "I… I am so sorry. Here you are, maybe my real mother, and I don't feel anything…"

"It makes sense. You spent your whole childhood in Nohr. I'm sure you were quite sheltered." She paused, before continuing, forcing out what she didn't want to say. "You will… need time to think all this through and search your soul. But… I truly hope that someday, we can be a family again."

The room fell silent. But this time, it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Her son's servants, in perfect harmony, placed their hands on Corrin's shoulders in an all-too-familiar gesture. 'Whatever you choose, we will follow.'

Corrin raised his head to face her once more. "Could… could you share stories of my childhood in Hoshido, then? I would like to hear of them… I want to believe you. Truly, I do."

Mikoto felt a surge of hope. A radiant happiness. "Of course. As a mother, I would be remiss not to share childhood stories to embarrass her beloved son, right?" She laughed as Corrin gaped, even as the old knight and the maid started chuckling.

Now, in comfortable comraderie, the old knight grinned. "Oh? Perhaps you would be interested in hearing what the young master has been up to in the last decade? I'm sure this old relic has quite the collection of embarrassing tales myself."

Corrin just look betrayed at that. "Gunter!"

The blue-haired maid smiled and ribbed her lord. "And I certainly have quite the few tales myself. Should I share with your mother that one time when you wanted to build a…" She barely could restrain her laughter as her son, her son, spun around to muffle an extremely amused maid.

It seemed that even in her absence, Corrin was raised well by a new family. She could hardly begrudge any of the three people in front of her that fact.

A newfound resolve flooded her very veins. The peace treaty. She now had yet another reason to secure an era of peace with Nohr. To reconnect with a son lost, to reunite a family broken. She could not take Corrin back from his new family - but she could give him the family he had lost.

So caught up in her happy thoughts, she missed the gleam of metal. She only noticed when Gunter's eyes widened and the knight began moving as if to push Corrin. There was a quiet squelching sound, and the room fell silent again.

'What?'

Corrin's face echoed the same confusion she felt. One hand trembled as it moved over to the gleaming metal implement... buried... in his chest. Why was that there…? When…?

Her son crumpled, and Mikoto screamed.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm so excited to get into the story proper. It just flows out so much easier now that I don't have to explain all the tiny changes I made to canon like an exposition checklist. Anyways, Mikoto really just didn't have enough screentime in the game. That's all I'm going to say on that matter. I know in canon that Mikoto knew that Corrin was abducted, but I mean, that opens up so many cans of worms I don't even know where to begin. Why would you bring a baby to a peace conference across the globe anyways? Seeing the sights? Cheve is deep enough in Nohrian territory that one would think that if anyone didn't return to Hoshido, that they were dead.

What Sumeragi did was like, the equivalent of bringing his baby to an amusement park in the middle of a war zone halfway across the world. Where the locals were likely to shoot him on sight. And the nearest airport/getaway vehicle was at least two countries over.

Next interlude: **Legacy**


	6. Interlude: Legacy

...

* * *

 **-= Interlude: Legacy =-**

 _The knight glared balefully at the man who stripped him of everything but his life. If looks could kill, the King of Nohr would be but a pile of fine ash. His scalding glare was rewarded with a savage blow from the king's loyal attack dog. The knight tasted the cold stone of the floor._

 _He did not get back up. Could not bring his arms to bear his weight once more._

" _...What do you want of me now, Garon… Have you come to finally end it?" And he was not surprised to find that he was looking forward to it._

 _After all, he was already dead. A dead man walking when his wife and son and village was executed for his foolhardy adherence to honor and principles. The life he led now… could be called nothing more than existing._

 _The tyrant, the devil who rewarded service with unimaginable cruelty merely laughed. The honorless cur dragged him back to his feet. He did not resist._

" _No, Gunter, my old friend. I want you to raise my son."_

* * *

 _ **Izumo**_

* * *

 _Gunter_

He could feel his bones strain as he exploded into motion. This time, he was prepared for the gleaming flashes of steel.

Two more shuriken embedded themselves into his gauntlet, as he barked at Flora to treat the young master's wounds. He didn't have time to see if she did so as he flipped the short table in front of him upwards as a makeshift shield. He chanced a glance at Queen Mikoto.

Either the queen was the best actress he had ever seen, or she truly didn't know what was going on either. He'd give her the benefit of the doubt - the young master would undoubtedly be quite upset if Gunter was wrong and left his mother out to die. Dragging a shellshocked queen behind the safety of a piece of furniture, he scanned the room for signs of the attacker.

 _There!_ A ninja, on the rafters. Hoshidan colors, headpiece denoting him as an elite of some sort. Royal guard? He heard the sound of combat outside, shouts of alarm and rushing footsteps. Was this all an elaborate trap?

Flora finished emergency triage on the young master, and lifted Corrin over her shoulders. The knight herded them towards the door, table in between the armed ninja and them. _Thunk, thunk_. Two more impacts. The ninja dropped to the floor, unsheathing a gleaming katana.

And then the ninja was upon him. He raised his makeshift shield, meeting the incoming blade and hurling his fist in a cross co-

' _You don't want to fight._ _'_

The sudden, alien sensation. His counterattack was aborted as his gauntleted hand fell limply to his side. The barrier.

He could not fight back.

Ingrained instincts screamed at him, as he lowered his poor substitute of a shield to meet a two-handed cleave. The table splintered as his fist lashed out once mo-

' _You don't want to fight.'_

And once more, his hand fell limply to his side, the perfect counterattack on an all-too-wide opening. The ninja hadn't even bothered with the pretense of defense or caution, swinging his blade with pure force and no finesse. Gunter's blood chilled at the thought - every Nohrian delegate was completely helpless.

Without a shield, without even the ability to use his fists... In that case, his body would have to serve.

He grimly crossed armored gauntlets in front of his chest, as the ninja lunged once more.

* * *

 _He stared at the small child, unnaturally quiet in his arms. Confusion shone in tiny ruby eyes. His… charge._

' _I could snap his neck, right now.'_

 _The thought flickered darkly in the deepest recesses of the veteran's mind. And he could. He had been effectively exiled. Stripped of his titles, stripped of his honor, of his family so that he could be a_ _ **babysitter**_ _of all things. He wanted to laugh. Was Garon so cruel a tyrant that he could not have his own family? That his son had to die so he could take care of the king's?_

 _He could do it. He could end both of their misery right now, with but a flick of the wrist. After one, infinitely long, moment, he reached out with gauntlet-clad hands. It would… be… so… easy…_

 _The child reached out with chubby arms outstretched. Touched the cold steel, before recoiling. Giggling, as the painful naivety of youth rendered it ignorant to his dark thoughts._

 _The knight sighed, and allowed his hand to drop. No, he was not so far gone as to resort to infanticide. Corrin, huh? He pondered as the child stared at him with innocent, trusting eyes._

 _Very well. He would follow Garon's command. He would raise the young prince to be a fine prince of Nohr._

 _Prince Corrin would be the finest prince of all Nohr. And the tyrant's son would be the one to dispense this bitter knight's vengeance against his father._

* * *

A brilliant flash of azure light. The charging ninja blinked in surprise, staring at the arrow of mystic energy in his chest uncomprehendingly, before collapsing. The arrow vanished into motes of light.

Gunter turned to see the calm composure of Queen Mikoto, hands outstretched as she grasped a bow of ephemeral light. Watched as another azure arrow formed from nothingness. "Sir Gunter. Though you may not trust me, I ordered no such treachery. Please allow me to cover you while you get my son to safety." Solemn eyes pleaded with him.

What a stark contrast with King Garon.

He nodded in assent. "You have my support." A stride and with a grunt, the old knight ripped the door from its hinges. Not as easy to carry as the table, but it'll have to do. He gestured for Flora and the queen to hold as he advanced cautiously out into the hallway.

The samurai guarding the entrance was dead. But not before he had taken his attacker with him - a blade had been thrust through the ninja's chest even as a shuriken took his head. "All clear, for now.

Flora stepped out behind him, resolutely still carrying the young master. Behind her, Queen Mikoto solemnly covered the rear as they started to rush down the hallway, azure arrow shimmering all the while.

Gunter rounded the corner, skidding to a stop. Four samurai, tainted red by the blood of their compatriots, turned towards him.

He raised the door.

* * *

 _Gunter strode to the prince's room, angrily muttering under his breath. Shoving the door open, he made to berate his young charge before he reigned himself in at what he saw._

 _The whip he held in his hand lowered, as he observed the tearstained face of a sleeping young Corrin. He must have cried himself to sleep._

 _A pang of shame. King Garon had provided him with… educational instruments of a questionable nature. No doubt he had intended for Gunter to raise the boy harshly - it was all but implied that the prince would need to prove himself worthy of his father's attention._

 _And his first response to a perceived failure was to follow alongside the wretched king? To inflict corporal punishment upon a child bereaved and isolated, wanting only to seek acknowledgment from a tyrant that couldn't give a damn about him_

 _Slowly, Gunter turned around and exited the room. He strode back to his room, passing the frightened young Felicia and Flora._

 _No, he would not lower himself to Garon's level. Though Garon deserved his vengeance, this child did not. He set himself to work by the waning candlelight._

 _In the morning, a leather ball rested where there had once been a whip._

* * *

The blade lashed out, even as another arrow of mystic energy dropped one of the treacherous samurai's compatriots.

The door groaned in protest, but held.

Another swordsman attempted to dash past him. He caught his instinctive reaction to throw a punch at the swordsman - decades of ingrained training screaming at the obvious opening that he could not take advantage of.

"Too slow!"

Instead, he slammed the wall with enough force to splinter the barrier, wooden shards flying in the path of the charging samurai. One such shard sliced the knight's face.

A trickle of blood streamed down Gunter's face, but he noted with satisfaction that the samurai had been halted in his steps by a piece of the wall embedded within his gut. Which made him easy pickings for the queen's next energy bolt.

The remaining two took that moment to leap towards him. He grimaced as he braced against his door - the queen would not be able to reload fast enough to deter either of them.

 _Thunk! Thunk!_ The aggressors dropped in mid-air, hands reaching to clutch the shuriken buried in their backs in pained confusion. Another volley of shuriken and they fell still.

"Corrin!"

The crimson-clad ninja that the young master had spoken to the day before, Saizo, stepped into view. He was shortly followed by a distraught Princess Camilla and her retainers. He noted that Camilla's retainers had the same idea he had, using furniture as makeshift shields. Young Beruka was actually wielding a table in each hand. ' _Resourceful girl.'_

Princess Camilla rushed to Flora, fussing over the still comatose Corrin, retainers close behind as the three shieldbearers silently moved to form an impromptu shield wall around the royals.

A wooden clacking sound was all the warning he head before more assassins rounded the corner behind them. Mounted upon their grotesque puppet creations, the assassins charged.

* * *

" _Tsk. You'll never fail to find something wrong with what I do, old man. I went out of my way to make this for you because you said you were thirsty."_

 _Gunter snorted in amusement. "I'm only offering constructive criticism." Young Jakob muttered angrily, but nevertheless, went to pour out another pot of tea._

 _He didn't miss Jakob's jubilant expression later when Corrin declared that the tea was the best that he had ever had with a radiant smile._

* * *

"Watch your back! We'll cover your retreat!"

A hail of shuriken was his response. Selena and Beruka had fallen in line behind him, such that the cover they provided encompassed at least the entire width of the hallway as they hurriedly retreated. He ignored the sensation of steel biting biting into his uncovered boots, as he quickly backpedaled in tandem with the two shieldmaidens. A few shuriken and an azure arrow flew past him, but failed to find their targets as the puppets darted with unnatural grace through the volley.

"Sir Gunter, we only need to reach the wyverns! Father and the rest of the delegation have already fled!" _What?!_ The princess's words barely registered as his haphazard shield sustained yet more blows.

"We came back for the prince since Lady Camilla insisted. The Hoshidans went the other way, since they thought you were going to take the western corridors!" An irate explanation from a beleaguered Selena, who was sporting a cut where a knife that slipped through a widening gap in her stopgap bulwark.

One of Saizo's thrown shuriken _exploded_ , a localized blast of flame that caught an unaware puppetmaster. The old knight heard a distinct hum of satisfaction as a gleaming arrow finished off the unbalanced rider. One attacker down. Gunter weathered the storm of the attackers' reinvigorated volley, even as they charged closer and closer.

 _Despicable. He would leave his son so…? Although, perhaps young master was never truly his son…_

The old knight shook out his simmering anger at Garon and replied. "Very well. Master Saizo, Queen Mikoto, your assistance is most appreciated."

"I dislike the idea of helping Nohrians, but I detest traitors even more." The ninja behind him sounded quite infuriated. The queen didn't bother responding, as she formed yet another ethereal arrow and let loose.

Gunter grimaced as his shield finally splintered from the hail of metal that peppered them. Two shuriken found their way into the joints of his armor before Selena pulled him behind her and Beruka took his place.

They retreated past another door, the old knight taking a moment to rip out yet another temporary shield. There was nothing he could do for the two Nohrian knights that lay dead within, throats slit.

Their motley band managed to retreat several more long strides before Beruka was forced to toss one of her battered tables aside. The former assassin scowled as she retreated behind Selena who had already moved in front of them in silent synchronization. The blue-haired retainer tore a nearby painting off the wall. Better than nothing, he supposed.

And then he had no time left for idle musings as he heard Flora shout and turned to see a pair of swordmasters dashing towards them.

* * *

" _Master Gunter, are you alright?"_

 _The old knight turned to see the curious pink-haired maid. Felicia. Kindhearted, but much too clumsy. She was carrying a tray of food and drink. He stood up, one weathered hand steadying the wobbling tray before it would have spilled all over the floor._

" _Don't let this old man lost in thought distract you too much, Felicia." He smiled at the embarrassed yelp she squeaked in response as she handed the tray over and fled._

 _She was a good girl, one that didn't deserve the fate given to her. But he could respect her sister's desire to keep her ignorant of their true circumstances._

 _Sighing, he glanced down at tray of food in his hands, before striding towards the door and the passageway beyond._

 _He passed by Flora on his way. The blue-haired maiden blinked in confusion. "Master Gunter, I must advise against your continued skipping of meals. It's not very healthy."_

 _She was an all-too-serious girl, who took her duties with an obsessive fervor. He suspected much of that was due to fear - that her or her sister's failures would mean their end._

 _He shook his head. "Fret not, Flora. This sentimental old knight just wants to eat atop the fortress castlements."_

" _... Would you like me to join you?" offered the maid._

 _He waved off her offer, and started ascending the cool stone steps of the fortress. But he did not proceed outside, instead turning and striding towards the young master's room._

* * *

He was bleeding profusely now, his mind somewhat hazy from the loss of blood. The price he paid for cornering one of the swordmasters into a wall so that Saizo could get an easy shot.

The armored knight limped back to join Lady Camilla's retainers, who silently shifted to re-accommodate him into their formation. Beruka's painting had been shredded, and the assassin was still wincing at the embedded shuriken in her arm. Selena fared a little better, as she had managed to replace her shield just in time and had yet to be seriously wounded. The two shieldmaidens had not suffered serious injuries while the flanking attack was dealt with.

But… that didn't change the fact that there would be no more shuriken from their party to cover their retreat. Saizo had been wounded in his duel with the second swordmaster while Queen Mikoto was attempting to keep the puppeteers from getting closer. The ninja's throwing arm had been severely slashed before he could finish off the enemy swordsman, and would be in no shape to provide further assistance.

There were still three puppeteers on their tail, and Dusk knows how many more foes lay between them and freedom. And now Queen Mikoto was all that stood between them and inevitable death. The queen's ethereal bolts were steady and sure, but she could not form the magical projectiles fast enough to pin any of the darting puppets down. She would not be able to hold off for them forever.

The queen came to the same grim conclusion. "Saizo. Please retreat and find my son or any others loyal to Hoshido with haste." Without pausing, she let loose another arrow, grimacing as the targeted assassin easily sidestepped the shot.

Saizo looked like he wanted to argue, but the situation was devolving quickly and it was evident to the ragtag group. He bowed his head. "As you command, my queen." The crimson ninja dashed past the stumbling Flora and Camilla and vanished.

Gunter gritted his teeth as one of the puppeteers almost closed within melee range before darting backwards to dodge an ethereal missile.

"Stand firm!"

* * *

 _He wasn't sure at what point the young master had become… well, the young master. At what point Prince Corrin, the tool that he would wield to bring down King Garon, became his… son._

 _No, Corrin wasn't his son but these days, he could hardly convince himself otherwise._

 _At what point had he transformed from harsh taskmaster to proud teacher? When did he start considering Jakob to be his protege, Flora and Felicia the daughters he never had?_

 _An excited Corrin bounded up to him. "Did you see that, Gunter? I did it! Magic without a tome!" A smiling and proud Flora. A jubilant and clapping Felicia. Jakob's expression of utter confidence in his lord._

 _At what point… did they truly become a new family?_

* * *

"Damn it all!" Selena screamed in frustration.

Gunter was inclined to agree. They had finally slew all their pursuers, made it to the stables. The princess's wyvern, Marzia, was already rearing to fly, the trampled and scorched bodies of the lancers that tried to subjugate her a testament to the beast's fury.

But the second wyvern, Beruka's… his eyes were glassy white, blood streaming from the hole in his throat as he lay unmoving on the ground. Beruka clenched her hands in seething rage, the most emotion he had ever sensed from the quiet assassin.

And then Queen Mikoto had been bludgeoned unconscious by a hidden assassin, ethereal bow vanishing as she fell. Selena had managed to drag her to safety behind the tattered remnants of her door as Beruka flung her table and knocked the man unconscious.

Without the queen, they could not hope to hold out against any other assassins for long. There was only one flight-capable wyvern, certainly not enough to carry all of them. The peace negotiations had completely broken down.

He had but one duty.

 _Protect Corrin._

Three figures entered the room. Swordsman, lancer, ninja.

He turned to the ashen Princess Camilla. "GO, MY LADY! LEAVE US - TAKE THE YOUNG MASTER AND FLEE!"

Not bothering to watch, he hurried over to a nearby corpse and grasped an intact spear. Besides him, Beruka picked up an intact cudgel and Selena found an unbroken katana.

He heard the sound of flapping wings as Marzia took to the sky, with the young master and Flora riding alongside Princess Camilla. They were as safe as they could be.

' _Now, to go for the extra credit…'_

* * *

" _Hmm? What's that you have there, Gunter?"_

" _Oh, this? Don't worry yourself over it. It is nothing important. Just a relic of the past."_

* * *

Sparks flew as his spear deflected the flurry of thrusts his opponent attempted.

While the queen's barrier still existed, it seemed like it had drastically weakened. Instead of being rendered completely helpless, it was more akin to being forced to thrust his spear past a swamp if he were to go on the offensive. Blocking with his new spear was totally fine, as he experimented mid-battle, allowing Selena and Beruka the confidence to follow in his footsteps.

The Hoshidan lancer lashed out once again. _Corner. Confine. Predict. Finish._ A deadly dance of steel that would seal an opponent's ability to dodge and force them into predictable patterns of movement if they didn't want to be skewered.

Gunter had no intention of being predictable. He blocked the incoming thrust with the shaft of his weapon, allowing his weapon to break. With a roar, the aged knight bodychecked the surprised lancer, ramming him into a wall.

The dazed lancer had no time to react before Gunter slugged the man with enough force to snap his neck.

His compatriots turned surprised glances at the sound. A deadly mistake, as the girls capitalized on their lowered guard and new knowledge. Beruka delivered an excellent flying tackle, followed by driving the bladed end of her gauntlets into the disoriented ninja. Selena opted for an stunning elbow jab before tearing the swordmaster's throat with her metal pauldron.

The stable fell silent as the combat died down, save for the panicked whinnying of a terrified... pegasus that was cowering in a corner, still leashed to a post.

Turning to his fellow retainers, he barked, "Do either of you know how to ride a pegasus?"

After a moment, Selena hesitantly gave a nod.

"Then, flee. The both of you."

Beruka spoke up. "What about you, Sir Gunter?"

The aged knight let out a dry chuckle. "I doubt the poor beast could bear all my armor. No, I will remain here - the queen is still here after all."

The red-haired mercenary snapped her gaze to the fallen queen, before opening her mouth, "Shouldn't we actua…" Her eyes were conflicted as they flittered between her friend and the foreign noble. The unspoken dilemma. The queen… or her friend?

"Take the queen. I will remain behind with Sir Gunter." The quiet voice of Beruka chimed in. There was no resignation, just calm acceptance as she turned towards him.

Gunter shook his head. "Follow your heart, Selena. You have no obligation towards Hoshido - I doubt that King Garon would care to continue negotiations after this."

' _And,'_ an insidious whisper in his mind, ' _he_ _may have very well somehow orchestrated this mess. I cannot imagine the queen of Hoshido stooping to such lows, but King Garon…'_

Selena only hesitated for one brief moment before grabbing a surprised Beruka. The pigtailed swordswoman started dragging the former assassin to the pegasus.

"...You're not allowed to die. That's just not allowed. I don't care if Nohr goes to war over it."

The heartfelt conviction in her tone… how heartwarming. It reminded Gunter all too much of the young master. Beruka seemed to feel similarly, as she ceased her protests and helped bridle the pegasus. The twin-tailed mercenary tossed her katana at him, Gunter smoothly catching it out of midair.

"...Good luck, Sir Gunter." A nod. No more words needed to be said.

He moved the comatose queen into the vacated stall, propping her against a corner. Her robes weren't exactly inconspicuous, but he didn't have the time to hide the queen anywhere else. ' _Forgive me, your highness, but better you stink of pegasi manure than getting your throat slit.'_ He turned and strode towards the middle of the stable as Selena and Beruka took off into the night sky above him.

The whinnying sound of a pegasus would undoubtedly attract the attention of any nearby foes. Gunter found himself more calm than he expected at that realization. Here, amidst ruined pens and hay, he would make his stand.

Gunter put on a confident smirk, as he relaxed and turned towards the newcomers. The old knight raised his sword.

"Reminds me of the old days."

* * *

" _But wait - what are the black circles for?"_

" _That day when I brought you fresh bread for the first time. It was also the first time I saw you smile. I resolved to keep track of each time I saw you smile."_

" _Of course, I don't have to anymore. You're always smiling these days."_

* * *

 _Slash. Thrust. Hammer. Shoot._

Gunter was a veteran knight but even if his mind was willing, his body was weak.

The old knight spat out blood as steel buried itself in his side. Nevertheless, he pulled in the swordsman who had stabbed him. The sword dug in deeper, but he ignored the pain in favor of delivering a bone-crushing punch to the head.

His hand darted out, grasping the spear that was thrust at him. With colossal effort, he yanked it out of a surprised lancer's grip.

The knight ducked, as a cudgel slammed into the support pillar behind him, knocking down a wooden beam that brutally pasted the now unarmed lancer.

Two down. Another lancer advanced towards him.

Gunter thrust his spear forwa - ' _You don't want to fight.'_

The compulsion kicked in. For a brief moment, his hand wavered.

' _Like hell I don't!'_

The lancer had barely time to wipe the smirk off his face before the veteran's drooping hands tensed and thrust once more.

He let go of the spear, idly watching as the lancer crumpled. The stifling sensation invoked by the queen's barrier eased as soon as the spear fell out of his grip as he turned to face a wary, circling samurai. Three down.

The great knight roared as he ripped out the blade still embedded in his side, hurling it at the wide-eyed swordsman. He didn't see if the samurai dodged or not as a cudgel smashed into his chestplate, cracking the aged steel and driving metal into his chest. Gunter doubled over, then swept out with an armored foot.

The knight's armored elbow crushed the warrior's face as he tripped. A quick glance revealed a hobbling samurai, leg neatly sheared off from where the spinning blade had caught him.

Four down, then. A bloody grin. He picked up the cudgel.

"Rookies."

* * *

" _I have one suggestion, milord. Give me a reason to draw one last big circle."_

" _How would I do that?"_

* * *

He stumbled. Another arrow. The battered knight was fighting to stay conscious through the hazy fog of blood loss.

After watching the Nohrian veteran execute four of their comrades in a convincing fashion, the assassins had all retreated and turned to attacking him from afar. The remaining melee combatants had taken to throwing whatever metal implements they could find at him.

A sound plan. After all, he was on his last legs and could not hope to close the gap between them with his wavering stamina and encumbering armor. And it was clear that he was in no shape to deflect projectiles for much longer.

Gunter was bleeding out. The old knight was well-aware of his own mortality.

As the saying goes though… the cornered animal is the most dangerous.

' _This old knight still has one last trick left to play.'_

With herculean effort, Gunter lunged. Not towards his foes.

But towards the last support pillar in the room. One, two, three more arrows penetrated his armor. Two shuriken dug deep into his chest. A blade slashed out as one quick samurai realized what the knight was doing, finding bone and skin.

It wasn't enough. Gunter smashed into the pillar with all the force of a raging bull. Man and metal tumbled gracelessly through a cloud of dust and splinters.

With a great creak, the roof fell.

* * *

" _It's simple. Bring an end to this war. Then you'll smile your biggest smile yet."_

* * *

Shouting. The sound of thunder and galloping hooves.

It seems like the cavalry had finally arrived.

He opened one blood-encrusted eye. There wasn't anything to be seen, in the darkness of the night, crushed under a roof and vision rapidly fading. He idly wondered if Queen Mikoto survived his last gambit.

But, even so, something gleamed in the darkness. The old knight strained his faltering eyesight.

A small handcrafted trinket, in the shape of a shield, fell from his nerveless hands.

' _Ah. The young master's…'_

' _Corrin…'_

Gunter smiled, as he closed his eyes.

* * *

 **A/N:** This was really painful to write ;_; Gunter's one of my favorite characters in the entire damn series. Best knightdad. As far as I know, his wife and kid are never named, but it kind of works out in the sense that Gunter feels traumatized by what Garon did to his family to the point that he's blocking out his own memories of happier times. Or I'm just exercising my right to have whoever do whatever.

On the note of unknown names, although I suspect otherwise, I don't suppose the names of Xander and Leo's horses were ever stated?

Next chapter: **Spark**

 _Mzr90: First of all, thank you for all your reviews! In regards to your question, Shiro is just reiterating "common" Hoshidan knowledge of the time. Whether he knows that Corrin is his uncle is up to you. Just note that without the Deeprealm shenanigans, all the children preludes are from a pretty distant future looking back on these events in retrospective - all their knowledge is second-hand anyways._

 _FilmSeedot76: If you had to pick two of Gunter, Jakob, Felicia, and Flora to represent you at the most important international diplomatic event of the last two decades, would you bring Felicia? Felicia's a great character but there's a reason why she's the combat maid and jealous of Flora's actual maid skills. I also considered the pair of Gunter and Jakob, but I wanted to give bestmaid more screentime than she got in the actual game. Felicia will definitely show up more in the future though - those character tags aren't there for no reason, I promise!_

 _P.T. Piranha: Thanks! And I understand your concerns - honestly, it's pretty spot-on since I do indeed feel like Fates was just a giant pile of missed opportunities. Hopefully, my writing is good enough or this diverges from canon enough to keep your interest, but I understand the burnout factor. Also this is like a motivational project to see if I can write and bring me out of some IRL funk, so that's why I'm updating rather rapidly at the moment._


	7. Spark

...

* * *

 **-= 05: Spark =-**

' _Not only did the peace talks fail, but the attack at Izumo claimed the lives of several Nohrian ambassadors. Without the ability to use their weapons, they could hardly defend themselves against the assassins that assaulted them. Of note was that Queen Mikoto had attempted to save Prince Corrin from the assassins herself, and was gravely wounded in order to secure the Nohrian delegation's escape. Prince Ryoma and Princess Hinoka, along with their retainers, were the other known figures that the Nohrians acknowledged._

 _The differences between the casualties suffered between the factions were stark and divisive. No "loyal" Hoshidan lives were lost. This was in stark contrast to almost the entirety of the Nohrian delegation's honor guard, which was almost annihilated to the man. Izumo, long famed for its neutrality, had only maintained a token military force. As far as scholars can tell, they were wiped out that night, along with the Archduke Izana, who was assassinated in his sleep._

 _Nohr's outrage was vehement. Despite all attempts by the royal family of Hoshido to convince them otherwise, it was widely believed that the Hoshidans had betrayed the terms of the peace treaty and attempted to assassinate multiple members of the royal family. After all, with Queen Mikoto's barrier, how could the Nohrian delegation have instigated anything? Prince Ryoma's unsuccessful attempt to locate the 'mastermind' behind the attacks only spurred Nohr's indignation and disbelief further._

 _The queen's health faltered but a mere two weeks later and the Great Barrier fell. Upon discovering this, King Garon called Nohr to arms, and for the first time in years, the armies of Nohr advanced towards Hoshidan territory._

 _And so it was thus that the royal family of Nohr marched to war. And even though Prince Corrin had learned the truth of his heritage, he would join forces with Nohr in the coming conflict.'_

Dwyer, Historian.

* * *

 _ **Bottomless Canyon,**_ _3 months later_

* * *

 _Leo_

As he watched yet another pegasi rider fall into the gaping chasm, Prince Leo wondered when he had gotten so used to taking lives. Instead of feeling the slightest tinge of remorse, all he could think of was "One less foe in the sky to flank us."

Leo idly wondered if that made him a bad person.

 _Thwip. Thwip_. Two arrows found their targets, and more white-winged warriors dropped from the sky. The eyepatch did not hinder Nile's accuracy much - certainly 'not enough to miss a giant flying horse' according to the rogue.

He grimaced as one of the charging oni tribesmen flung one of his screaming guards over the flimsy guardrail of the bridge. Though an armor knight had immediately moved to cover the breach, he was too late. The Hoshidans had actually managed to get a foothold on the Nohrian side of the bridge. The prince had suspected that the Hoshidans would attack here, but aside from himself and his retainers, there just wasn't anyone else available to immediately reinforce this position.

He would have to trust in his men - without wyvern knights of their own, they could not proactively contest aerial superiority. Thusly, all of his attention was spent on ensuring that they could not be attacked from the air as well from the encircling pegasi knights.

 _Thwip. Thwip. Thwip._ Niles let loose another volley of arrows, one catching a falcoknight in the midst of descending upon Leo. Leo thanked him by hurling a fireball at the samurai who had somehow managed to break through the Nohrian ranks in a suicidal charge.

"Oh storm cloud, loose thy blade… Thunder Blade!"

Next to him, Odin conjured forth a massive bolt of crackling lightning. It hovered, as if grasped by an invisible hand that the boisterous mage could control. With startling alacrity, Odin leapt and threw the missile at the incoming infantry.

The spell did not directly hit anybody, but the shockwave of the impact flung many unfortunate Hoshidan warriors into the middle of the Nohrian formation where they were quickly cut down. Or off the bridge to their certain doom.

Impressive. However… "That is hardly a blade, Odin. If anything, should it not be considered a lance?"

The mage scowled. "Indeed. It is but a work in progress. I drew my undiluted inspiration from a tactician I once looked up to. He could incant a majestic blast of lightning with but a flick of his hand, smiting his foes with a beam of elemental force that formed instantaneously! Though I am unable to replicate such a spell, I have been experimenting such that I may one day wield a blade of lightning much like the famed Raijinto!" Leo's eyebrows rose at that proclamation.

The strange mage that had somehow become his retainer looked to continue with some amount of glee before Niles interrupted. "Sorry to interrupt your magibabblin', but Lord Leo, our reinforcements have arrived."

Ah yes. And as if they were following a morbid script, the battle ended as unceremoniously as it had begun, when the wyvern knights of Nohr appeared. The Hoshidans broke off in an orderly and swift retreat, arranging their lines as such that any effort to pursue or attack would fail. Their forces had gone through this song and dance numerous times.

Leo halfheartedly threw a few parting shots anyways.

* * *

"As you suspected, Lord Xander's offensive this morning went splendidly. The passage you chose was poorly defended, and his cavalry unit were able to quickly acquire a large foothold on the Hoshidan side," Niles intoned blandly, before grimacing. The former thief looked as if he had bitten a sour grape as he continued to read the reports in his hand. "The Hoshidans were prepared for that and had hidden large enough reserves of infantry that Prince Xander was forced to surrender his foothold before our infantry could reinforce him."

Leo sighed into his palm. "But of course. What of the wyvern offensive? Did that also hit a snag?"

The rogue just rolled his eyes at him. "Just as you expected, my lord. The wyverns blew through their weakened defenses at the targeted locations… But their pegasi did the same to ours. We've lost two of our supply camps. Frankly, my lord, whoever their tactician is, if they just keep every move we make in this fashion, we'll never get anywhere."

The prince agreed. He was, in other words, frustrated beyond reason. It was as if he was playing a war game in real life, except instead of ivory-carved wooden figurines, he was playing with the lives of his own soldiers.

The brief skirmishes that Leo had partaken in before the onset of this war had not prepared the prince for the scale of the conflict that broke out once barrier fell. He had marched to war with Camilla and Xander, and alongside Iago, been given command of the Nohrian battle lines. If there was anything to appreciate about Nohr's tactician, it was that the man had not earned his position through sycophantic ingratiation alone.

And it was a novel experience at first. The first few battles, where both sides tested themselves in large-scale battle, measuring each other's strength was exciting. Leo would excel, as he always did, and find ways to break through his Hoshidan counterpart's defensive moves.

Then three months passed, and it wasn't so novel anymore and was just irritating. And even the normally-therapeutic crushing of Selena in her tactics game of her wasn't enough to take that particular edge off. And then she left, and he was without any sort of entertainment to distract him from the morbid repetitiveness of reality.

Leo sighed. "Great. A total wash. I don't suppose our scouts caught sight of any of the Hoshidan royal family other than that archer prince?"

A shake of the head. "Prince Ryouma and Princess Hinoka remain hidden in whatever cubby hole they've been hiding in all this time." Niles glanced idly at the reports in his hand. "Our spies confirmed your early suspicion that Princess Sakura is sheltered in the rear lines for the purposes of nursing their injured back to the front lines. And we've just confirmed that Prince Takumi was the one that opened up that passage they just used to attack us with."

 _Dragon Veins._ Leo groaned. "So we're still at a stalemate, and I'm positive that any attempt to move on Princess Sakura's position would result in more losses than it's worth. Splendid."

Niles shrugged, not having anything to add to that assessment. Leo sighed.

The mage prince of Nohr waved his hand. "Alright, you're dismissed, unless you have anything else to add. I'm going to give myself a headache by engaging in 'magibabbling' with Odin."

At that, Niles only laughed. So much for sympathy.

* * *

"At ease. Have you seen Odin, by any chance, soldier?"

"No, my lord. I am sorry. I haven't seen him since the battle this morn."

Leo exhaled sharply in irritation. Where was that damnable retainer of his anyways? Odin was hardly the subtle sort and normally could be easier to spot than a bear amongst horses. Irked, the prince glowered as he continued searching the camp for the eccentric mage.

It only took three Dusk-forsaken months for the world to devolve into chaos. Three months of a stalemate, where the terrain and natural passages of the Bottomless Canyon ensured that the defenders would almost always have ample warning of any incoming attack. The infantry divisions of Nohr found themselves on the back foot against the swifter Hoshidan combatants, who in turn, would not match the pace of Nohrian cavalry. Both sides employed the liberal use of the numerous Dragon Veins to create new passages in an attempt to allow their grounded forces attack from unexpected approaches. Neither had succeeded.

The result was that the only combat that mattered was the one in the skies. The real war, fought in the skies between the wyverns of Nohr and the pegasi of Hoshido. Morale of the grounded forces was at an all-time low and he could see it in their faces as he strode through the camp. His only consolation was that from the looks on their Hoshidan counterparts, that they felt the same.

Even Odin confessed feeling a bit useless and powerless. Speaking of which…

He turned to a nearby guard, who straightened into a weary salute. "At ease. Have you s-" The prince cut himself off with a sigh as a loud bolt of lightning fell from the sky, followed by maniacal laughing. "Never mind, I guess I finally know where Odin is." The soldier smirked at his expression of pure suffering as he turned towards the sound of the disturbance.

The dark knight was unable to keep his thoughts from straying back to the still-unseen Hoshidan royalty as he trudged through the camp. Throughout the entirety of the war thus far, two of the renowned warrior royalty of Hoshido had yet to make an appearance, alongside their elite units. It was both a blessing and a curse. Their absence meant that whenever Xander or Camilla or even himself took to the field, their opposition only had one unit of comparable size and strength that could not move as swiftly as any of Nohrian siblings.

It was a curse, because the unseen threat is the deadliest. The men fought with the constant apprehension that out of nowhere, they would be beset by the Peerless Samurai or the Warrior Princess of Hoshido. Even though such a possibility grew less and less likely by the day, it was yet another mental burden upon the weary fighters of Nohr.

The oily snake Iago had expressed concern that the Hoshidans might be mounting some sort of sea offensive and though he detested the very thought of agreeing with the despicable tactician, Leo was forced to concur that their absence was far too long to be a ruse to lower their guard. Accordingly, the two tacticians assigned his sister a command of a sizable wing of their wyvern and mounted knights and sent them south to secure the most likely avenue of attack, the port city of Dia. Speed would be critical if the Hoshidans were truly leading an assault through the waterways and Camilla was the only one that could hope to match Princess Hinoka if she showed up in the south as well.

But Dusk only knows how much he wished Camilla was still here, because certainly, their ground forces weren't getting anywhere. And, well, he certainly wouldn't mind more time with his sister.

Leo rounded the corner and beheld the sight of Odin dancing merrily, with a blade of crackling lightning rotating above him. As if he were prepared to smite some invisible foe, Odin had his hands outstretched in one of his typical ridiculous poses.

"Brilliant vanguard of the heavens, cry havoc and with your wrath lead…!" Leo barely repressed his sigh. He'd been sighing all too much recently.

"What in Dusk's name are you doing." It wasn't a question.

Odin yelped as he spun around to face the prince. Leo's eyes widened as the mage's spell destabilized as Odin lost his concentration. The blade imploded in a violent manner, sending his retainer sprawling. The prince hurried to the mage's side, only to stop dead on his feet as the twitching Odin gave him a thumb's up.

"When I stopped sending you on dangerous missions, I didn't mean for you to be so foolhardy as to experiment with your own life." The outlandish mage only smiled at Leo's exasperation as he got up on his feet, with just a small burn mark on his cape to show for his failure.

"Ah, my Lord Leo! Truly, it is fortuitous that you should see the success of my efforts!"

"... It did look like a blade this time," conceded the prince. "But what purpose does this serve that casting a larger bolt of lightning does not?"

"Ah, but one cannot wield untamed lightning! This humble retainer has determined that to banish the darkness of your foes, my soul's lighting will surge into the form of a blade. Then, Mystletainn and I shall be the apocryphal brand that parts the river of damned souls!"

Leo blinked as he ran that sentence through his Odin-speak Interpreter 2.0. Elise helped him understand some of the more outlandish expressions Odin used sometimes and Leo found to his horror that he actually understood most of Odin's ravings these days.

"You named... your lightning spell Mysteltainn?"

"Of course not! Mysteltainn is the sword that I summon from the depths of my soul with my incantation, forged in the ebon flames of agony that have pierced Odin Dark's heart! A demonic blade of lightning ensouled within a cage of magic, the finest blade I have ever wielded, MYSTELTAINN!"

Leo blinked. That… okay, that actually made sense to him. The prince wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"You wish to use it as an actual sword?"

At that, the bizarre man that was his retainer grinned confidently. "I may not look the part, but I was once a swordmaster of peerless skill in my past life! Many a demon feared the name of Odin Dark, the Sword that Smites Evil! Though I have turned to wonders of the arcane now, I have always sought to one day learn the mystical spell-blade style known only to its few practitioners as…" Odin leaned in, as if to whisper a secret. "Slashing Steel, Hidden Lightning!"

"..." What did one even respond to such a proclamation with anyways? Before he had enough time to muse over an appropriate retort, a horn sounded.

Both prince and retainer turned to see a speck of white approaching in the skies. With nary a sound, a certain blue-caped rogue dropped besides him, sardonic grin plastered on his face.

"Looks like they're back for more. Ready for round two?"

Leo's only response was to scoff with irritation, as they prepared for combat once more.

He noted that Odin manifested Mystel- his sword of lightning again.

* * *

 _ **Castle Krakenburg**_

* * *

 _Elise_

"Is Corrin still training with Effie?"

The pink-haired maid grimaced. "A-ah, I'm afraid so, Lady Elise. He's um… very devoted to his training time, nowadays." A sad smile graced Felicia's face. "Effie's just happy that someone else even wants to handle her training regime." That was true enough, nobody took training more seriously than Effie.

Elise didn't like seeing her friends sad. Never had she felt so… so powerless, than when Corrin came back home from that peace talk she wanted to go to.

And then the war started, and Leo and Camilla and Xander all went off to fight. Camilla was still scarily angry at the Hoshidans… who hurt Corrin…

The young princess disliked conflict, but she could understand Camilla's anger and frustration. She didn't like it, but maybe she wanted to punch something too. And by that, she meant pulling off all the petals off the flowers in the garden of course.

She turned around and stalked away, back to her quarters, uncaring that Felicia saw her upset. Leo was being a meany-face when he said that she couldn't join them. 'It wasn't safe' he says. But then Camilla and Xander had both agreed with him. And then, Camilla asked her.

"Can you take care of dear Corrin for us while we're gone?"

Pfft. As if that needed to even be said. Of course she would! As a princess of Nohr, and more importantly, as Corrin's little sister, she'd get Corrin back to normal in no time!

But… Sir Gunter was gone. The old knight, the grandfatherly figure that was always so nice to her when she visited… the one that she felt closer to than her actual mother, was gone.

And Corrin did not take that well. He had been depressed for about a month, no matter what she or Felicia or Flora or Arthur or Effie or anyone did, Corrin didn't smile.

And then Father met with Corrin. Her brother had stepped out of that audience room reinvigorated. And everyone was glad at first, before he started throwing himself into training.

She grumbled as she hurried back to her room. Stupid Corrin. Why didn't he see that everyone was worried for him, that his new habits made her sad?

Then she collided with a robed figure. Oh. Eww.

"Hi Iago!" Elise didn't like the man very much, but injected cheerfulness into her voice anyways. "Wait.. Aren't you supposed to be on the front lines?" She gasped, mind running a thousand miles a minute. "Are we winning? Is everyone alright? How's Camilla and Leo and Xander?!"

The tactician blinked slowly. "My... apologies, Princess Elise, but I'm in a bit of a hurry. I have things I must discuss with the king." Without another word, he swooshed out the room.

What a _jerk_. He didn't answer any of her questions! Some of Father's friends just made Elise so _mad_. And some were just scary. Iago was both.

She blinked as she finally registered Iago's hurried tone. Wait, _did something bad actually happen?_

The princess pondered for all of approximately three seconds, before spinning to sneakily follow Iago. She was so going to find out what was going on!

* * *

 _"...the situation… may have… stalemate…allies..."_

Oh, this was new.

She had snuck up to the door fine, and aside from one curious guard, nobody really questioned her. She was the sneakiest little princess after all!

But for once, the door was actually completely shut. Father usually wasn't very careful with it, since it took so long to properly close.

Which meant that all she was hearing, and barely at that, were random words. She huffed, and turned to leave.

 _"...need...Camilla's…enough..."_

Camilla?! What happened to her sister?!

The audience room fell silent. And that was when Elise realized that she had audibly gasped that last part out loud.

"Oops."

An unamused Iago watched as she quietly walked in. Her father had a stern expression. The princess gulped. "Sorry, I was listening to some of what you were saying, but you looked like you were in a rush and I was really worried about Leo and Xander and Camilla and then you said her name so I thought…!"

Her father smirked, cutting off her rambling. "Your sister is fine. Iago was just informing me that we have reason to expect the Hoshidans to attack Port Dia. Your sister is going there to reinforce the city." Port Dia? She'd been there a few times - it was kind of a dump but she came up with a really silly story about two caterpillars on a leaf boat that made Xander smile there. She hadn't thought much of the city then, but Xander smiling was getting rarer and rarer by the day! So she had started recording Xander-smile days in her diary!

An irate Iago cut in. "And as I was saying, before Princess Elise so rudely interrupted, Princess Camilla may be facing both Prince Ryoma and Princess Hinoka if our suspicions are true. I've sent many of our mounted knights and wyvern riders, but we should really send some more troops south if they truly plan on invading by sea."

She gasped. Her sister was really, really strong, but even the youngest princess of Nohr knew the tales of the Prince Ryouma. They said he has a sword that could cut lightning itself! Camilla's strong, but even she couldn't…

Elise tuned back into the two adults who had gone back to ignoring her. "In that case, we'll send Corrin. The layabout's getting restless anyways." Corrin!?

That was not acceptable. Her brother was still sad and he would get himself seriously hurt if he fought anyone the way he fought Effie! Arthur told her that the Prince was winning spars because he purposefully took hits in order to win as if completely uncaring of the wounds he would receive - and that that was lethal on the battlefield.

If she couldn't protect her brother by making him feel better, then she'll just have to make sure that Corrin couldn't get himself into anything stupid!

With all the poise and gracefulness that she could muster, "Father, please send me instead."

Did she do it wrong? Iago looked honestly surprised and Father's eyes had gone wide. She didn't stutter, did she…?

"...Princess Elise, I hardly think we shoul…" Leo told her that Iago was a meany-face and not to listen to what he said, so she tuned him out.

"I'm not a kid anymore! I'm an adult! And I am SO BORED." Shoot, that was hardly convincing, she needed to come up with something else. "Corrin's being moody right now and is making everyone around him sad so if you send him, he'll just make all our soldiers sad and that's not good!"

 _'Sorry Corrin!'_

Her father turned a considering gaze at her. "And you would be a better choice, because…?"

Ooh, she didn't she'd get this far. "Um… um… well all the soldiers in the castle really like me! A lot of them call me adorable! And that me just being there makes them happy! If I go, then I can play with everyone and make them all really happy and then they can fight better!"

The princess mentally groaned. That came out ALL WRONG. Shoot! But then, King Garon chuckled. "Well, if my dear princess wants to so badly, who am I to stop her? She even raised real points, Iago!"

 _'Does that mean…!'_

"... Very well, if that is my king's desire." Why was Iago dragging his hand down his face?

"Princess Elise, your mission is thus: with utmost haste, ride for Port Dia with whatever spare regiments we can spare. I will have them ready by morn tomorrow. Once you're there, you can… play with them… to increase their morale or something." Iago threw his hands up in the air at the end as he stormed out the room to the amusement of Father.

Yayyyy! This was going to be a blast! But first, she had to go tell Corrin!

* * *

 _Jakob_

Jakob was a bit perturbed.

His lord had been pacing outside for the greater part of the night, and seemed to have no intention of returning to sleep.

The stifled yawn Flora made suggested that they would probably not be able to keep vigil on the young mas… Lord Corrin much longer.

When Flora and Corrin had returned, without Gunter…

 _'Damn it, old man, you weren't supposed to actually go get yourself killed.'_

His lord had took the old man's death particularly hard and had clammed up, refusing to speak with almost everyone. Flora confided in him that Corrin had learned something of great personal importance while they were there as well, but that she wouldn't feel comfortable telling him unless by explicit permission of his lord.

He thought the prince was finally breaking out of his shell after his talk with King Garon.

Instead, his lord threw himself into training with a fervor that reminded Jakob all too much of how seriously he took his own butler training under the tutelage of Gunter.

Their first sparring session, the young butler prepared himself the way he always did. It was a routine - he knew his lord's habits and Corrin knew his.

Corrin savagely pummeled him into submission, with such force behind his blows that he feared their practice weapons would shatter. After that, Jakob was forced to step up his own training regime in order to keep up (and keep up, he would, damn it all) with Corrin's rapid progress.

Gunter would know what to do. What words to say, what activities to persuade him to do…

Jakob tried. And for the first time in a long time, he was found wanting. It was a bitter feeling.

He had even roped in that ridiculous woman and her absurd training regimes in an effort to dissuade Lord Corrin's self-destructive path. That only seemed to spur him on, and Jakob watched as his plan backfired spectacularly. He hardly had the heart to ask Effie to disassociate with her first real training partner after going to such lengths to get her involved in the first place.

All of which might have been fine had Princess Elise not suddenly leave to join Camilla on what was likely to be a battlefield, with the express concern that she was doing it for Corrin.

His lord took that revelation badly. And now, without Effie to at least keep him from killing himself, he had thrown himself into an even more self-destructive training routine.

Along with Felicia and Flora, he tried to talk some sense into his lord. Perhaps just a heartfelt confession - that it was killing them on the inside to watch their lord suffer so - would be the catalyst for improvement.

It turned into an impromptu three versus one sparring match, where Corrin almost took all three of them down. To Jakob's small satisfaction, it was his blow that finally fell the berserking prince.

That was all this morning. Corrin had been quiet afterwards - and not the angry depressive quiet, but an actual contemplative silence. They expected Corrin to have said something during lunch, or dinner. He didn't.

Which brings them to this situation. His lord had been thinking about something all day, and for the last five hours, been pacing restlessly. It was their duty as servants to ensure that whatever conclusion Corrin came to, they could support him. So they watched, and occasionally asked if Corrin needed anything.

Flora stifled another yawn. Felicia had fallen asleep standing upright.

He blinked rapidly as he tried to muffle one of his own. He wouldn't fall asleep. He wouldn't fall asleep…

He looked up. Corrin had finally stopped pacing - he was walking towards them. A silent nudge. Felicia woke up with a startled yelp before Flora motioned for her to be quiet and she remembered what they were doing.

His lord had a… guilty look in his eyes. Flora nodded at the butler, an unspoken and completely democratic selection of him as spokesman. Felicia just gave a sheepish smile as she let him take the reins.

"My lord, have you come to a conclusion about whatever you have been thinking about all day?"

Corrin looked sheepish as he replied. "I have, but that can wait until tomorrow morning. I'm… really sorry for keeping all of you up and for how I've acted in the last couple of weeks." His prince bowed.

"Good night, Felicia, Flora, Jakob."

"Good night, my lord."

* * *

Corrin was doing that headscratch that he did every time he was embarrassed. "Everyone… I… I took Gunter's death badly. I kept thinking, 'if only I didn't' and just… felt like nobody else could share my sorrow. I forgot that you were all grieving as well, but that you tried to stay strong for me... I had no right to treat any of you the way I have in the past three months, when you all have been nothing but supportive as always of me." A deep breath, before his lord bowed deeply to them. "There's a lot of things I need to apologize for. And for that, and everything else, I just wanted to first say that I am sorry."

Jakob decided the best way to respond to his prince's heartfelt confession was with the blunt truth. "I'm glad you have finally realized how much everyone, including Princess Elise, has worried about you over the last several weeks." On this, he was pretty sure Gunter would have told him to slap some sense into the prince.

"We're just glad that you're back to normal again, Lord Corrin." The maids chimed in perfect harmony. Well, almost perfect, but Jakob's thoughts were digressing. Something more important had happened.

The Corrin he knew, the young man whose greatness would one day illuminate all of Nohr, was back. And smiling, for the first time since he returned from the disastrous peace conference.

"Thank you all. I… you're basically also my family, you know? We may not share bonds of blood, but..."

Felicia interrupted. "We grew up together. Of course I view you as my master, but I also view you as a close friend and brother that I never had." The pink-hair maid was uncharacteristically stern and serious as she said her piece.

"... I may not have liked my circumstances at first. But, it has truly been an honor to serve you, Lord Corrin, and I am nothing but honored to hear that you think of us in that way," her sister added. Well, time to go for the three for three.

"You gave my life purpose when I had none. There is nothing that you would ever have to apologize for - I will be your loyal servant to whatever journey you bring us on."

Corrin sniffed. "All of you… I…" His prince was… crying?

And Jakob looked at the sisters to confirm that they were thinking the same thing he was.

They were.

They hugged Corrin.

* * *

 **A/N** : Depression's no joke and as much as I give Eliwood shit about it, at least he feels like a human being after his dad bites it. Corrin's sadness at his siblings' deaths is uh… a lot less than one would expect of him considering how much of an idealist he is. That said, that could be a fic of it's own and isn't the focus of this story anyways.

Holy hell, Odin is hard to write. I'm always like, "he can't be this cheesy" and then I go look at some of his supports and it's like "oh god, how is he such a giant ham." Yes, Corrin has sided with Nohr, at least initially. No, this isn't just a reimagination of Conquest - it's already very different since Garon isn't just derping around trying to assassinate Corrin and is doing actual war things and people are going different places and I have plans. Also, I know this chapter was really exposition heavy, but timeskips!

Also, in the vain hope that it actually gets me to be productive, I'm going to write down that my goal is to finish this story before 2017 arrives. Pretty sure I'll be laughing at myself on New Year's and that my resolution for next year will be to stop disappointing myself with absurd goals. ;_;

Next chapter: **Ignition**

 _Thanks for the reviews everyone! I always thought Corrin had the most interesting background of a Fire Emblem lord yet - raised by a knight who harbors a bitter grudge against his not-dad, and grew up in isolation with an orphan reject and two political hostages. And that's before you get into the whole 'thought he was a prince of Nohr when actually, he got abducted from his birth family.' The latter, the game goes to some effort to convey. The former, not so much._


	8. Ignition

...

* * *

 **-= 06: Ignition =-**

' _It was said that ages long ago, an ailing dragon made a meadow in Nohr it's final resting place. Years later, when the land began to shrivel and turn to wasteland, the bones of the dragon acted as some sort of invisible stopgap, and the forestry to the south was unblemished by the wastes. Eventually, some entrepreneurial Nohrians decided to build a fort with the dragon's bones as its walls. A smart investment, since it ensured their close proximity to the southern forests of Nohr. As such, some of the reagents that can be found around Fort Dragonfall are of incredible value to apothecaries in Hoshido, not to speak of those that could be found within where it is said that the essence of the dragon was absorbed into the earth.'_

\- Midori, on Fort Dragonfall in "Rare Reagents and You"

* * *

 _ **Wastelands, near Fort Dragonfall**_

* * *

 _Felicia_

"Felicia. Come spar with me. I need to let out some energy." Upon hearing those dreaded words, Felicia looked up fearfully from cleaning her knives to see Rinkah smugly smirking at her. Not again, they just sparred this morning! She was still tired!

Her troubles had began when she inadvertently stumbled, and quite literally at that, into the oni in the midst of a training session back in Windmire. Kaze and Rinkah were allowed to basically do whatever they want, so long as they stayed with one of Felicia or Jakob.

Which would have been fine if Rinkah wasn't prone to reckless swings whilst training and if Felicia didn't trip while bringing refreshments.

Startled, Rinkah was unable to stop herself from swinging behind her, realizing too late that it was Felicia. As for the maid, her instinctive response to a flaming club to the face was to somersault backwards and parry with a knife of frozen juice. The knife understandably shattered and Felicia was sent sprawling, but wasn't seriously hurt.

So why did Rinkah fixate on her after Flora was back?! That first trip was a mistake, honestly! They had both apologized to each other! So why was Rinkah always looking to spar with her?!

What the maid wasn't aware of was the fact that Rinkah had found the first person to which she could train to her fullest extent against. As it turns out, being able to light one's weapon on fire gave Rinkah quite the advantage in any practice spar against anyone not of her clan - and thusly, it was an unrefined technique that she hadn't had much time to work on. The Ice Tribe's ability to similarly form weapons of ice negated that inbuilt advantage - and for the first time, Rinkah could go all out in her spars against an outsider.

If Felicia had anything to be proud of, it was that she was quite talented at fighting. She would, of course, prefer to be better at doing dishes and serving Corrin, but she took some satisfaction that amongst Jacob and Flora, she was perhaps the most proficient in actual combat.

Regardless, Felicia just happened to be the first to catch Rinkah's eye after that initial interaction with her cooking attempts over her term of captivity. Flora had wisely stayed out of it after observing one of their spars to ensure that her sister wasn't getting pulped behind her back, leaving her poor sister to the whims of a blunt oni sort-of-captive-sort-of-friend. It didn't bother Flora that she was almost getting pulped, no - ' _you can just heal yourself up after yourself anyways'_ was her nonchalant reply. It still hurt, though! Knives aren't that great against clubs!

But as Felicia learned, Rinkah wasn't one to take a "no" for an answer, and had tossed her a practice sword as if she expected the maid to be able to pick up swordfighting right then and there. It was besides the point that the sisters did have some experience with swords, which incidentally was hard not to with how eager Corrin had been in his youth for spars.

And if the pink-haired maid didn't resign herself to another grueling workout now, she'd pay for it sometime else when Rinkah had even more pent-up energy to release. She sighed. At least the sword practice was useful enough as well.

"Fine, but you have to try out one of my meals afterwards!"

* * *

"It's awful. What did you put in it this time?"

Despite that, Rinkah swallowed down the food anyways as Felicia drooped in resignation.

Rinkah was always pretty straightforward with her opinions - kind of like Jakob in that respect, now that she considered it. That said, she didn't really want to disappoint Jakob any further - those cooking lessons hadn't really stuck all too well despite her efforts. And Jakob had better things to do then constantly overseeing to make sure she didn't make a mistake…

Thus, Felicia had began bartering with Rinkah - every time she agreed to a spar, the oni would have to eat her cooking. The oni, in her own words, "wasn't picky" about what she ate and was brutally honest in her feedback. She would help the oni refine her fire techniques, and in turn, she would get some sword practice in. And maybe the oni could help her (slowly!) refine her cooking techniques!

But progress on the latter seemed nonexistent. Felicia was sure that she had followed the recipe perfectly this time! Though she had to substitute some of the things she was missing…

Stealing furtive glances to ensure that Corrin wasn't in eyesight, she murmured, "Some spices I found in Flora's basket… I thought they would be a good replacement for the stuff that we didn't have. Maybe I'm just not cut out for this." A half-sob and despite not wanting to look weak in front of her… friend, she could feel the onset of tears beginning to form.

A rough hand clasped her shoulder. "Chin up. Least your sword arm isn't half bad these days."

She blinked roughly, wondering if she heard that right. Felicia just stared at the incredibly uncomfortable-looking oni.

The maid couldn't help but giggle slightly. "Heehee… I'm sorry. But Rinkah… you're not very good at giving supportive speeches, you know." Rinkah flushed. She made to say something, but Felicia shook her off.

"But thank you. It's all thanks to you that I can even think of doing this. You never gave up on me, never threw away the food I made. I really am grateful to you."

Rinkah looked like she wanted to retort, but then Corrin's exuberant voice rang through the clearing. "Felicia! Rinkah! Dinner's ready! Kaze says it's Rinkah's favorite!"

Rinkah's stomach let out an audible growl, as if demanding to be fed. Felicia smiled as the oni started stalking off back towards camp, trying to maintain whatever dignity she had left.

"Coming!"

* * *

After Corrin's heartfelt confession to them a week ago, they had immediately took off after Princess Elise. Kaze and Rinkah, still in Corrin's custody, were brought along "just in case they could be useful." It was clear to everyone that Corrin was most likely intent on handing them back if they ever encountered any Hoshidans and King Garon was obviously not fooled, but he had much more important things to deal with so he had allowed it.

Afterwards, Corrin reassured Kaze and Rinkah that he would not expect or force them to fight their fellow countrymen if they encountered any. The two Hoshidans both mentioned being indebted and swore not to betray Corrin's generosity. Felicia had the feeling that the two were serious and she was quite glad - the maid wasn't really sure if she could bring herself to fight Rinkah if she were to become her enemy.

Jakob had grumbled, but good-naturedly. He had gotten over his initial animosity towards the captives during the time Corrin was out on that peace conference once Kaze confided that he admired Jakob's devotion to Corrin. It sounded like Kaze was a retainer to someone important as well - and if nothing else, Jakob could respect his pragmatic desire to stay alive in order to return to his master.

And now that they were traveling together through the arid wastelands, grudging respect gave way to resigned acceptance which became unchecked curiosity. Flora mentioned seeing Kaze and Jakob often cooking together, the two sharing traditional Nohrian and Hoshidan recipes. Felicia felt a little bad for depriving Rinkah of the appetite to dig into those undoubtedly better dishes, but the oni had waved off her concerns.

Her prince was absolutely fascinated by some of the food the two had conjured - so many dishes that he had never had the opportunity to try and some completely foreign to him. One day, she wanted to be able to serve him some Ice Tribe delicacies - her sister had teased her but agreed to help her when Felicia was more confident in her cooking.

And… somehow, Jakob and Rinkah had gotten into a arm-wrestling competition. She must have missed whatever Rinkah had said to spur the butler on, because Jakob was looking mighty offended and was clearly putting his all into the match. Kaze was smiling at the sight and…

Corrin was egging it on, looking excited and keeping score. Really, how Corrin managed to bounce back to the old days so quickly after that confession was astounding. Beside her, Flora relaxed as she shared a knowing eyeroll with Felicia.

This was familiar. Albeit with two newcomers, but the childish revelry that suffused the air itself and made her want to prance around… this was home.

And even with the knowledge that they were marching to war… right now, sitting around a crackling fire with her friends and family, Felicia was content. Felicia smiled as she leaned in against her sister as they continued to watch the ensuing antics.

* * *

 _ **Fort Dragonfall**_

* * *

 _Flora_

The air around here felt decisively stifling. Her hands curled around the familiar steel of her knives.

Unlike the cool breezes of the Northern Fortress, unlike the relaxing sheets of ice of her home village, the chill in the air wasn't just from the temperature but the complete absence of sound and life of Fort Dragonfall. If she didn't know any better, it also felt as if the earth was going to swallow her at any time - as it was, she had to remind herself that dragons were long dead and the stories of their spirits inhabiting places an old wives' tale.

Still, she wasn't the only one unnerved by the lack of human life. Jakob had already gotten his dagger out and Felicia's knife was already coated in layers of ice. Besides her, Kaze looked tense, eyes rapidly flickering all around while Rinkah had her face set in a perpetual scowl.

Despite all the warning signs, despite the clear and evident danger…

"We should split up and try to find the soldiers."

' _Milord, we should definitely NOT.'_ Fortunately, Jacob voiced her indignant response for her.

"Milord, I hardly think that's wise. There was to be an entire garrison of troops here - to find not a trace of one when Princess Elise passed by here less than a week ago is highly suspicious. I doubt the princess would have left the entire fort unguarded!" _Thank you_.

Unfortunately, Corrin, idealistic and lovable fool of a prince he was, was going to have none of it. "Which is all the more reason why we must look into their disappearance. We can hardly continue on our journey south without finding out why Fort Dragonfall has been seemingly abandoned." The prince's eyes took on a flinty look, one that Flora recognized meant their inevitable concession and defeat. "And if the worst has come to pass, we must notify Father immediately that the Hoshidans have somehow snuck through the front lines and are close to the capital."

Jakob sighed as he facepalmed. "Very well, milord Corrin, but know that I object for your own safety's sake."

Drily, the prince remarked. "Noted. Jacob, Felicia. Take Kaze and Rinkah with you and…" He considered. "Find somewhere hidden to observe the fort entrances. If something has befallen the troops within, it would be prudent to avoid barging in through the front doors." Finally, a note of caution.

Her sister asked the obvious question, "Then where will you and Flora be doing?"

Flora knew that look that dawned in her lord's eyes. And Jakob and Felicia could recognize it too, as the former groaned. "We'll be looking around the perimeter for alternative ways we can enter the fort, of course!" Corrin announced this as if they were to attend a grand banquet, a festive gala.

But Flora knew when she was beaten, so the maid conceded while she was still ahead. "Lord Corrin, I'm going to warn you that this is a spectacularly dangerous plan but I suspect that warning will fall upon deaf ears."

"Yep!"

Well, if nothing else, at least Corrin seemed to have regained most of his ceaseless vigor - she hadn't seen him this energetic or eager to do anything in quite the while.

* * *

"No, I don't think so. At most, we would be able to get one person inside which is certainly not much safer than just walking in." Not to mention, making a human tower to throw someone through a window was hardly subtle. The maid decided to add, "Please consider the poor fellow who would be at the bottom of this theoretical tower, if not your worried subordinates."

"If you wish to crawl through sewage, well… you'll have to force us to clean your clothes. And I suspect that none of us will be very happy with that." Vetoed. For the love of Dusk and her sanity, Corrin, please don't!

"I hardly think taking a hammer to some cracks in the wall would be any less subtle than walking in the front gates." The ruckus that would make… never mind if they accidentally bring down an entire wall segment!

"I believe Master Kaze could do something like that. You are not a Hoshidan-trained ninja. It is your humble servant's duty to remind you that falling hurts." Now he was just being ridiculous.

"This was your idea in the first place, Lord Corrin. The whole point was to find something safer to enter the fort by other than walking in the front door. Jakob and Felicia would be most unhappy with me if I allowed you to throw all caution to the wind." No, Corrin, _stop._

Really, it was as if she was babysitting a small child who had just learned how to walk and was insistent on running everywhere! Though that moniker fit Corrin well enough, she supposed.

* * *

"Well, that covers the northern approach. Fort Dragonfall is after all, a respectable stronghold of Nohr so it should be of no surprise that there aren't any weak points to be found in the very walls." And still no sign of human life. Truly, quite ominous.

"I still think my idea to throw someone through the second-floor windows had some merit."

"I respectfully disagree and I suspect Jakob and Felicia would also."

Corrin just grinned. "Seems like it would be fun, but you've made your point clear. We'll look for something else on the south side, then?"

A tired but wry grin. "Would you listen if I asked you not to?" She had meant for the statement to be one of resigned acceptance. So she was surprised, Corrin fell silent at that remark.

This silence was getting a little too long now...

' _Erm, what did I say…?'_ "I apologize, we can of cour-"

Her prince interrupted. "No, that's hardly fair. I already promised you all to _listen_ and here I am, already dragging you along with me wherever I want. And I know I'm being… reckless."

Corrin mumbled the next part so quietly she had to strain her ears to hear it. "...and Gunter's dead because of it." Flora looked at her master sympathetically.

"That's hardly fair, Corrin. Gunter knew what he was doing and you can hardly be held responsible for an assassination attempt on all of us. He would gladly die for you." Flora paused for a moment. "And so would Jakob, Felicia, or I." And despite that faint voice that whispered of vengeance and home, she was still surprised that she had meant that.

Even if she resented King Garon for tearing Felicia and Flora from their homes, even if some part of her had once darkly contemplated smothering the young prince in his sleep…

But Lord Corrin wasn't Garon. Corrin was the innocent and naive boy she grew up with, an ascendant prince with good intentions. And from what she've seen of the other Nohrian royals, Garon's children were all fundamentally people that she might have been friends with of her own free will. No, she might hate Garon, but she could no longer say that she hated Corrin.

"Just remain Corrin, and leave the worrying to us."

* * *

"Oh? This looks promising. Flora, over here!" Flora blinked, as she hurried to Corrin's side.

' _Oh. Interesting indeed.'_ It looked like someone had, and quite recently, been camped here in the woods south of the fort. There was even a tiny patchwork tent, hidden behind the treeline. She suspected it was hidden from view from the inside of Dragonfall.

"Do you think it could have been Elise's group?" Corrin sounded a little worried.

The maid shook her head. "Doubtful. This was all handcrafted - and I've seen Princess Elise's sewing lessons with Camilla. It's also not standard-issue Nohrian army gear. Whoever it was, most likely isn't associated with Nohr… though I don't recognize anything particularly Hoshidan about these designs." It was actually a bit fascinating, the strange and intricate designs that someone had embroidered onto the outside of the tent.

Corrin considered her observations for a moment before nodding in assent, wandering around the tiny campsite.

They weren't runes - or at least, not any that she could recognize. The telltale sensation of magic was absent, so they were mundane in nature.

Flora was a little envious though. That was some beautiful embroidery - the maid considered herself a fair hand at sewing and had seen Princess Camilla's masterpieces as well. This was pleasantly different. Perhaps, if they had the time, they could take the tent for her to study?

She was interrupted by Corrin's horrified gasp. Spinning around, she sprinted towards her lord.

A Hoshidan ninja. ' _Dead. Lightning magic probable cause.'_

She could _hear_ Corrin's worrying skyrocket, the pounding thunder that rushed through his and her veins, as he rushed forward. ' _The Hoshidans have breached the divide.'_

She could also hear a faint whistling sound that was certainly _not_ the wind. ' _They're here!'_

Without hesitation, she let her heritage take the reigns as the cold embraced her. Flora bodily intercepted a shuriken, swirling ice and mist knocking the would-be-lethal projectile off course. She hurled one of her knives at where the shuriken had been thrown from - and was rewarded with a meaty thump and very-much-alive groan of some unfortunate foe.

Flora didn't have much time to revel in that brief euphoria.

A shadow fell upon her. She chanced a glance upwards to see an entire platoon of Hoshidan ninja operatives perched on the trees above them. Her grip on her remaining knives tightened, knuckles turning bone-white.

Even if she could give Corrin the time to escape, they had managed to wander sufficiently far away from the others that she doubted she could buy Corrin enough time before the ninjas would catch up to him.

But, she would try. She would have to.

A familiar voice. "Had I truly wanted you dead, I could have filled your head with shurikens in the time it took to notice us." A red-garbed ninja dropped down in front of them. "...You can put your knife down, maid, unless you want us to turn you into a pincushion."

"Saizo." Corrin's reply was terse, and fraught with confusion. "How?"

How had the Hoshidans penetrated the frontlines and managed to get a strike team so deep into Nohr? Flora heard the unspoken question. Fortunately, Saizo seemed to understand and was willing to share. "Prince Ryoma ordered us to go through the lava fields."

The lava fields?! She knew King Garon and his advisors had considered that route to be an effective extension of the Bottomless Canyon - to tread through there was suicide!

But wait. "Why would you tell us that, Master Saizo? Are we not your enemies?"

The ninja scoffed, as the rest of the ninjas leapt down around them, pinning them in the confines of the small campsite. "Of course we are enemies. But I am waiting for the rest of my men to collect the rest of your group before deciding what to do with you."

' _No! Felicia!'_

The maid snarled, bristling even as the ninjas around her aimed shuriken at her. Her eyes darted wildly around the surroundings, looking for an opening, _anything_.

There was absolutely no way Flora was going to let them touch her sister! She felt her very blood freeze as the temperature around her dropped several degrees. Could feel Corrin's sudden alarm. Could see Saizo making a sharp gesture…!

Something slammed into her with enough force to expel all air in her lungs. She heard shouting even as she crumpled to the ground, suddenly lax hands losing their grips on her knives.

Then, she couldn't breath as she was lifted up and then… she knew only darkness.

* * *

She woke up to Corrin attempting to heal her with what mediocre staffcraft he had managed to pick up from his retainers. She blinked as she suddenly registered the dim lighting. When had they…

Oh, they were in a prison cell. She winced as her back made itself known that it was really sore. Corrin fretted. "Sorry, it was all I could do to just ask for a staff to heal you with." She nodded slowly.

Really, she was surprised she wasn't dead.

"What happened?" She hated how raspy her voice sounded. She was supposed to be the one taking care of Corrin, not the other way around!

"Eh… one of the ninjas tackled you when you started doing the ice thing again before putting you in a sleeper hold. I think Saizo was sincere in that he didn't want to kill us." Oh. How embarrassing, to lose control of herself in public…

She then frowned. "In that case… remind me to teach you the proper way to heal someone. What you did was fine for a temporary fix, but it will hurt the patient in the long run…"

Anything else she had to say was lost in her throat as the cell door opened and a very familiar, pink-haired figure rushed to hug her.

"Oh my gosh, are you two alright?!" Felicia. Hello.

"...Milord, is now not a good time to say, 'I told you so?'" And that must be Jakob.

But more importantly… "Felicia, can you please… loosen your grip… sore…!"

She found herself abruptly released as Felicia actually somehow tripped backwards, landing on her rump. Oh Felicia…

Then she fell silent as two ninjas stepped into the room. Both were familiar faces.

Kaze bowed deeply to Corrin. "I cannot thank you and your retainers enough for your generosity and kindness during my captivity. But I believe this is where we will part ways, if I understand your character correctly. I have been too long gone from my master." Kaze nodded at Saizo. "I owe you a debt greater than you can imagine - I hope that I can pay it back in the future."

Her prince seem nonplussed at that declaration. "No problem, Kaze. Thanks for teaching me everything you did about Hoshido - when this war is over, I would love to visit." When, not if. Bold.

Kaze seemed to feel the same way, before a small grin overtook the ninja's face. "I would be most pleased if that were the case. Farewell." He turned towards the red-clad ninja still leaning against the door and gave a deep bow before he headed out.

Saizo just fixed Corrin with a considering stare. "...Prince Corrin. I know that Queen Mikoto informed you of your true birthright before things went sour in Izumo." Jakob and Felicia blinked. Oh. Corrin still hadn't told them?

"Lord Ryouma would be most happy to see you by his side. Will you truly not consider fighting with Hoshido? Fight with your blood brothers and sisters over this farce of a war, end it before more innocent lives can be taken?"

For a long tense moment, everything was silent as the two stared at each other, one almost pleading, the other contemplative. Jakob was doing a good job of holding in his surprise, Felicia had let out a small gasp at that revelation.

And Flora recognized the war between want and duty playing itself out in Corrin's eyes.

"... I am truly sorry. I am sure Lord Ryouma is a fine man and one I would be honored to call a brother. But, even if I don't agree with this war, I cannot side against the people who welcomed a stranger into their lives as family out of the goodness of their hearts." He paused. "Even if Father is not who he says he is, Xander, Leo, Camilla, and Elise are all good people who have been kind to me my entire life - I cannot throw away those bonds for the love of a family I have only just recently rediscovered."

She expected some indignation or anger from Saizo at the blunt refusal, of his liege and lord. Instead, the ninja nodded as if he expected this statement.

Saizo nodded, and turned to leave. "Very well. I see that my brother was right." He turned around after a few strides. "Prince Corrin. You have done me two favors in saving my brother and now returning him to me. I have done you two by helping your people escape Izumo and by releasing you now. The next time we meet on the battlefield, it will be as enemies, blood brother of my liege or not." Having said his piece, the ninja vanished.

Flora could hear Felicia and Jakob inquiring for answers, of Corrin slumping in bone-weary exhaustion. There was a lot to worry about.

But for now, at least….

They were all still alive. And that was something to be glad for.

* * *

 _ **Woods of the Forlorn**_

* * *

 _Corrin_

The prince snarled, as he cut down another one of these monstrosities. How could Father condone using these... abominations?

The soulless, hulking human-shaped abominations, built of corded muscles and rotted flesh. The Faceless, an invention of Iago and other… esteemed mages of Nohr. Mindless beings of destruction that could pierce the Great Barrier in their senseless rampages. None of the books he had ever read painted them in a particularly fond manner.

The prince thought he couldn't detest these monsters more than he could have after reading about them. He was wrong.

"Felicia, Flora, cover me! Jakob, let's go!" The butler didn't need to be told twice, as two more of the soulless warriors lumbered towards them. The two rushed forward as a blistering hail of steel fell upon their foes and locked them in place.

His sword cut cleanly through the throat of one while Jakob had ran another through with a heavy shoving blow.

Fort Dragonfall had fallen. Rinkah and Kaze were returned to Hoshido. Corrin and his retainers had returned with all haste to Windmire to report the sighting of Hoshidans within Nohr. Iago was not pleased with the situation.

All somewhat expected and not particularly worrisome. By the report Corrin gave, the ninjas were not numerous enough to pose any particular threat to Camilla.

But then they had received a report from Camilla that Princess Elise had not arrived in Dia, despite her projected arrival a week ago. A missing princess was certainly enough cause for concern - and Iago was ordered to travel to the Bottomless Canyons to acquire the troops needed to reinforce the port city so that search parties could be sent.

And then the rider arrived, after Iago's departure, while there were no forces of significant import remaining in the capital that could be spared.

A messenger, a survivor of the cavalry wing that Elise was attached to.

Hoshidans.

Which meant they were most likely heading towards Dia, where Camilla was. And if Leo's suspicions that he informed Father about were correct, his sister was about to be caught in a pincer attack from land, sea, and sky. And Elise was _somewhere_ in grave danger.

Even though they stood not a chance against the full force of the platoon they were following, Corrin could not abandon his sisters. So their entourage had taken the fastest possible route and rushed through the Woods of the Forlorn.

Even though they stood not a chance against the full force of the platoon they were following, Corrin could not abandon his sisters. So their entourage had taken the fastest possible route and rushed through the Woods of the Forlorn.

Only to find these abominations running rampant in the forest. Normally he would be concerned but would ignore it in favor of hurrying to his sisters' aid.

That was before he found the strewn corpses of Nohrian cavalry in a clearing surrounded by the Faceless. One that Jakob grimly confirmed as part of the same wing that had set out with Elise after they had dispatched them. And then, the distinct sound of combat in the distance. A man shouting. Corrin had hollered that reinforcements were coming, but these _damned_ monsters kept showing up to block the way!

He turned to see Jakob burying another one in a barrage of steel while Flora froze another with her magics, allowing Felicia to shatter the monster with a cleaving blow from a spare sword they found at Dragonfall. The prince leapt forward to meet another charging Faceless, shaking from the colossal impact of the beast's unarmed blow even as he cleaved corded muscle and bone. The prince slammed an ice-encrusted hand into the monster's face, stunning it long enough to bury steel through its guts.

He buried the welling satisfaction at his kill, grimly reminding himself that Elise was in very probable danger right now. The prince's entourage tore through the shrubbery to emerge into another swamp.

A man was swinging an axe with abandon. He savagely eviscerated several Faceless that emerged from the murky swamp. But it wasn't enough. Another Faceless rose from the depths, swinging an arm as the man desperately dove to the side. The princes' eyes widened with recognition.

A man was swinging an axe with abandon. He savagely eviscerated several Faceless that emerged from the murky swamp. But it wasn't enough. Another Faceless rose from the depths, swinging an arm as the man desperately dove to the side. The princes' eyes widened with recognition.

 _Arthur. He didn't recognize the man when he wasn't screaming about justice._

 _And also because..._

' _He only had one arm. And was bleeding profusely from multiple lacerations and…!'_

Corrin dashed towards his beleaguered comrade, even as Flora and Felicia immediately went to work freezing some of the swampwalkers in place. His blade lashed out once, twice, thrice. Another body crumpled.

He ignored the burning ache of his arm. Spun and slash. Shoved an icicle through another masked face. Cut the tendons, rip and tear, slash and freeze…!

' _Effie wasn't here. Elise wasn't here. Arthur would have never left them to fend for themselves.'_

At this point, he was running purely off of rage and worry. Corrin feared that if he didn't keep going, he would simply collapse.

Whirl. Slash. Never stop. Keep going. Thrust!

And then there were no more foes, and Corrin's battlelust faded into barely restrained hysteria.

Arthur lay on the ground, gasping for breath even as Jakob and Flora and Felicia all pooled their healing arts together. He looked like he had been used as target practice by all too many ninjas before a samurai had chopped off his arm. And, was that what happened…?

Tense silence. The prince clenched bloody hands tightly, powerless as he watched. ' _If only I spent more time learning how to heal…'_

"He's stable. But there's nothing we can do for his arm." Flora, exhausted.

"Arthur, where's Effie? Where's the princess?" Jakob, questioning.

"What happened? Are they okay?" Felicia, panicked.

The normally jovial man hung his head. Gritting his teeth in pain, he managed to speak. "We were exterminating the Faceless. Clearing them out, for Princess Elise. Ensure the nearby villages weren't harmed. A just act." His voice lacked the usual exuberance that Corrin had associated with the man. "Truly, Lady Elise is a paragon of righteousness. Justice… _would prevail_ , and we would join Princess Camilla in short order. So we thought."

Arthur closed his eyes in pain. "Then they came from behind. Hoshidans. We gave chase - to ensure that they could not attack the villages nearby. But they led them into the swamps, where they were ambushed."

The man seemed lost in his own despair. "Then the ninjas. The ninjas came. Effie and I, we were…" Arthur choked, struggling to find words. Corrin's eyes widened. _No…_

"They killed Effie in front of her. And it was only by my Lady begging that they let me go."

Corrin didn't understand.

What?

Effie… was dead? The pink-armored knight that seemed attached to Elise's hip, her best friend, his training partner, his friend… was dead?

" _Where's my sister?!"_ Corrin almost didn't recognize his own voice.

Arthur raised a _glare_ at him, an act so uncharacteristic that Corrin actually tumbled backwards in surprise. "I recognized the one by him. The green-haired one. The one under your care, the one that Lady Elise played with."

 _Kaze…?_

And Corrin could do naught but shrink under the accusing eyes of a man who had lost his liege and friends and even his arm as horror sunk in.

 _No..._

"He stood by the man who killed Effie, the one named Saizo. They captured Lady Elise."

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry if you really wanted to see more of those characters in this story, I have nothing against the characters themselves. One thing that Fates keeps emphasizing is that Corrin always feels guilty for what he's doing to his other family and soldiers of the other side. But his ideals generally don't visibly impact whoever he sides with - despite the fact that he lets his siblings get away from him multiple times and they're pretty clearly willing to kill his friends. As it turns out, if you spare your enemies multiple times, they're not obliged to return the favor… and it's not necessarily Corrin that will suffer the consequences.

On a completely different note, I always find it hilarious when you find recipes online and the comments are along the lines of "I substituted this for that and didn't add any sugar. It tasted awful, 2 out of 5!" It's not very helpful for people who want to try out the original recipe, you know! Reading the comments of recipes online is always pretty humorous.

Next Interlude: **Remuneration**


	9. Interlude: Remuneration

...

* * *

 **-= Interlude: Remuneration =-**

* * *

 _There once was a child. He grew up in a mansion unloved. Their family was rich, his parents wealthy, but they had no eyes for him. Just another tool for their ambitions._

 _There once was a child. He was abandoned for servants to find, unwanted by his own parents. Too much of a hassle. He didn't understand it at the time._

 _There once was a child. He could not do anything right. Raised by nobles, unwanted by his own parents and now unwanted by even the servants he used to look down upon._

 _There once was a child. He was to serve a young prince as his last chance. He still couldn't do anything right, and no one wanted him._

 _Then, there was a child. Who would meet another lonely child, and offered friendship and family. Offered forgiveness and kindness, expressions unknown._

 _So it was that Jakob came to serve Prince Corrin, as his most loyal servant and faithful butler._

* * *

 _ **Palace Macarath**_

* * *

 _Jakob_

Jakob knew he was not an agreeable person.

Caustic. Rude. Blunt. Some even called him arrogant. The butler sometimes wondered what it would be like, to just _not_ be those things. But then, he chastised himself, for wanting anything more than to serve Corrin and work alongside Felicia and Flora. He got along with the people he cared for - and that was enough for him.

Then, Corrin had brought back Hoshidans, welcomed them to their quarters. And for the first time in years, Jakob was forced to accept people who had threatened and may have even tried to kill his lord. They were not the prince's siblings. They were not the distant specter of a far-off king. They were hostile, and they were _here_ with them.

He oh-so-dearly wanted to slit their throats. Remove these threats to Corrin, before they could hurt him. That was his duty as a butler, was it not? Protect. Serve. But Corrin told him to treat them like his own siblings, and _obey_ was the last tenet.

It was Felicia, kind and clumsy Felicia, who first opened up to their guests. The oni took a strange liking to the pink-haired maid. Which meant that the green-haired ninja, _the one that threatened Corrin_ , had more free time by himself. Jakob resolved to keep a close eye on him. Corrin might trust them, but Corrin never considered his own safety anyways. It was always Jakob and Flora that looked out for his liege's safety.

But, while acting as a glorified jailor… At some point, Kaze opened up to him of his own free will. Confessed of his failures to his own master, his desire and will to remove any in said master's path. ' _Nothing against Prince Corrin, I assure you. In fact, I may owe your liege an even greater debt than he knows of. But I would die for my liege, and from the look in your eyes, you would do the same for yours.'_

Warning bells. A cryptic comment, uncomfortable implications. But, at the same time, _empathy_.

Here was a man who understood. The butler could tell. This was a man who had fallen from grace. This was a man who was offered a forgiving hand, took it, and had his life transformed. This was a man like him.

Against all of his misgivings, against his caution, he had formed somewhat of a rapport with the man. Talked about their duties. Trained with projectiles, had contests even. They were _not_ friends, but Suzukaze of Hoshido was a man that Jakob could respect.

And what a bitter taste that was, to have found someone to respect that then betrayed that trust and compassion to thrust a cruel dagger into his master's heart. Like ashes in his mouth, to have lowered his guard when he should not have. After all, he would do anything for his lord. How could he forget that this man was the same?

No, Jakob was not furious because Kaze betrayed his trust. Jakob was _livid_ that Kaze had betrayed Corrin's trust and generosity, to kidnap Elise and partake of Effie's murder and shatter Corrin's naive ideals like glass. And that he had not protected his lord from such a betrayal, even when they had parted ways, to have wished the man well on his return trip.

 _Suzukaze of Hoshido would die by his hands._ This, Jakob swore.

And… as if he was taunted to do any worse, to find that he had so cruelly separated Elise and her retainers so, to have turned Arthur's unfortunately righteous rage upon his lord...

If Prince Corrin was the first person to have given the young butler a chance, it was entirely all too possible that Princess Elise had been the first person to make him truly smile. She was innocence personified, and her consistent and frequent trips to the Northern Fortress had cemented her as the staunchest ally of his liege in the world outside. Out of all the royal siblings his lord had, Elise was the one most attached to him, and by extension, the rest of their small family. He would not say it to Princess Camilla's face, lest she took it as a challenge, but Elise was undoubtedly the sister that his liege was closer to.

And she was the kindest soul next to Corrin that Jakob had ever met. Even if he thought her sometimes childish, her vision of an ideal world was not one that he was willing to shatter. Even if he himself could not envision it becoming reality, he was not so cruel to deny someone else's utopia after his own toils. And what a vision it was - Jakob was sure that though they might not succeed, that Prince Corrin and Princess Elise would lead the world into the closest thing possible to the utopia they dreamed of.

If he was not honor-bound to kill Suzukaze for the offenses against his own liege…

He would take personal umbrage that the ninja had seen fit to thoroughly destroy the princess's dreams, one that he knew included Effie and Arthur and even the man that betrayed them all.

No. Livid was not enough to describe the insurmountable murderous intent behind his seething rage. For the first time, Jakob had failed his lord and Princess Elise and in all too many ways.

But he didn't need words. He had already resolved thus.

 _Suzukaze of Hoshido would die by his hands._

* * *

Arthur was far too injured to even remain conscious, and so Flora had deigned to stay behind, taking him to the nearest village and healing his wounds and sending for reinforcements. Before he had finally collapsed to his injuries, he had pointed them in the directions of the king's summer home, Palace Macarath.

It would be deserted at this time. Jakob remembered seeing Prince Leo's reports - whatever troops stationed there would have already been reassigned to Cheve or Dia.

And thus, it would be the perfect place for a roaming band of Hoshidan assassins to keep and protect a hostage.

Of course, with just Felicia and himself as protection, even Corrin was not so brazen to challenge an entire army with just the three of them. They had elected for caution, as they approached the fortress.

They were no ninjas, but at the same time, the butler had to hope that the Hoshidans did not expect a counterattack at this time.

And he was right, to some extent. An hour ago, they had seen the darting shadows on the road. A large force, rushing eastward. Towards Port Dia. Hurried, and even bringing their tents and equipment with them.

Corrin had ground his teeth at the thought of leaving Princess Camilla flanked without warning, but they all knew that this was perhaps the _only_ chance they had of rescuing Elise from her captors and avoid the catastrophic scenario where she could be used as a hostage.

Jakob had reassured him that Princess Camilla may not be up to Leo's standards, but was a competent enough commander to have prepared for such a complication.

And the fort was mostly undefended. There was no sign that the Hoshidans had planned to return here, to establish a forward base. That raised uncomfortable implications of their confidence in taking Dia, but it also meant that most of the actual combatants would be needed to take the port city.

More importantly, it didn't look like they left any ninja that would be able to detect their stealthy approach. Corrin was about as far from subtle and stealthy as one could get, and his attempts at acting like a roguish outlaw was almost humorous if the situation was not so dire.

At least along the eastern walls, they had left nothing but what he could identify as militiamen. Which made a bit of sense - they thought that had annihilated all of Elise's troops so nobody really expected reinforcements to come. Or at least, not in numbers that would pose any real threat to a sufficiently large number of poorly trained cannon fodder.

Nothing too unusual in the stables. The horses were all long gone - and Jakob knew that the Hoshidans were no equestrians for the most part. Hmm.

A trotting pegasi caught his eye. Ah. So that was their contingency. I _f_ reinforcements did come, then one or two sky knights could be sent out to inform the main force that they were in danger of losing their hostage. From this vantage point, he couldn't see any more pegasi, but that certainly didn't exclude the possibility of there being more.

He noted the location of the pegasi and probable riders before continuing to sneak through the shrubbery outside the fort.

* * *

"So Jakob found at least one pegasi in the stables, but mostly militia fighters along that route?"

"Yes, milord. And if what you are saying is true, then western guardhouse is where they're keeping the bulk of their forces. So the militia are probably just runners. We can expect them to quickly notify the actual security if they detect us."

"Felicia?"

"I think they're keeping the princess in the guest rooms. It's not guarded very heavily, but that's because you almost have to go through the gardens. And they uhm, set up a weird maze of vases? In the gardens. So sneaking through could be kind of difficult."

The situation was better than they had expected, but pulling off this rescue was still definitely going to be difficult with only the three of them. Not to mention that the princess was most likely unarmed.

The prince was considering something crazy. Jakob knew that look.

"Jakob, hear me out." Oh no. The butler was definitely not going to like the next couple sentences.

"From what Saizo said, it sounds like my heritage is public knowledge in Hoshido and that my… Hoshidan siblings would like me alive if possible."

Oh no. No,

"This better not be going where I think it is." To Jakob's growing consternation, the prince shook his head.

"No, it's probably exactly where you think it's going."

Jakob groaned. Felicia just looked a little confused. The butler turned towards to his coworker. "What milord is suggesting is that he catches everyone's attention by just walking out into the open." Felicia's eyes widened at that as Jakob tightened his scowl. "Meanwhile, both of us… no, perhaps just one will attempt to scale one of the less-watched portions of the wall and make our way to the princess. Am I right so far, milord?"

Corrin had the gall to just shrug at that. "Guilty as charged. But you're not going to dissuade me. I won't let Elise pay the price for my mistakes."

Jakob could understand that feeling, but that didn't make the plan any more palatable.

But Felicia was convinced, and he couldn't really refute the logic with their need to act quickly. "Very well, milord. I ask that you let me rescue the princess."

Felicia gave a wry grin at that. "Ahahaha… I probably would trip at the worst time anyways. I think that's what Corrin was planning on in the first place though."

Oh. That had honestly actually slipped his mind. He just wanted to be the one to make sure Princess Elise would make it out in one piece - though Felicia trying to stealth through a fortress did sound like a recipe for disaster.

Perhaps he was more upset with the princess's kidnapping than he initially suspected he was.

Regardless, Corrin nodded in assent, and their plan was rather straightforward. He bowed. "Then if you will excuse me, please give me about fifteen minutes to locate an appropriate entry point." The butler paused. "And… be careful, the two of you."

* * *

Jakob dashed through the halls. The sound of distant combat, of ice and steel, rang as Corrin and Felicia lured the bulk of the guards outside the palace. He would have but scarce minutes to secure Elise's escape before some of those guards inevitable came to check on the princess.

He had left three broken corpses in his wake. He wouldn't leave anything to chance - that they would be inevitably discovered later didn't matter as much as the fact that he needed to silence them now before they could alert their guard detail to the diversion that was happening.

Felicia wasn't exaggerating. The Hoshidans really had just seemingly grabbed all the pottery and vases from the art gallery on the second floor and formed a maze with them. To sneak through in an expedient fashion would be fairly difficult, forcing any such intruder to go up the main path.

But both the princess and the stables were just a hall away once he passed through the expansive courtyard of Macarath. Three samurai, alerted to the commotion.

Time to go loud.

He was never really great with the magical end of things, preferring to leave that to the Ice Tribe sisters. That said, Kaze had showed him an interesting trick that he could pull off with shuriken, and Jakob had spent a few nights attempting to replicate the technique for his daggers.

 _Aim._ Right in the center of their formation. Then he could follow up.

He hurled the knife, even as he exploded into motion, dashing from the concealed alcove of vases. The samurai instantly saw him.

Didn't matter. His knife hit the one in the middle and enveloped the man in a globe of flame and force. The other two were caught on the edges of the explosion, and were sent flying, as they crashed into some of the vases they had set up.

Two thrown knives, two clean dispatches. Jakob hurried past the charred corpse.

He burst into the stable, just in time to see a sky knight saddle up and to skid under a spear thrust meant for his face. Two of them, then. His hand lashed out.

One, two, three. Three glimmering steel trails arced through the air, as they found purchase in the pegasi. An enraged sky knight cried out in grief as her mount was slain beneath her, leaping off the back of the dying beast to glare at Jakob with hateful eyes.

Which left two competent sky knights to face off against, both with an enormous advantage of range. Jakob did not fancy his chances in melee combat against two spear fighters, even if they were unmounted.

Mind running a mile a minute as he narrowly dodged a pair of thrusts designed to trap him, he backpedalled. He could not turn his back lest he get stuck like a common pig. He could not move forward, because the knights could cover each other and his weapon was far too short to close the gap.

The knights knew all that too, and were pressing their advantage. Slowly, but surely, Jakob was getting backed into a corner, his room to maneuver slowly shrinking as he desperately looked for a way out.

This was looking decidedly grim. Fenced in, he was rapidly losing options.

Just when Jakob was about to pull a decidedly Corrin-esque move that was probably suicidal in nature, a blast of lightning struck one of the knights from behind.

Jakob didn't bother questioning his good fortune as the knight crumpled and the other knight twirled around in shock - he aborted his reckless dash in favor for lunging at the now wide-open back of his distracted foe.

And that marked two down.

He turned towards his savior, a…

Tiny black-haired girl. A child. That was positively sizzling with an aura of magical power. Jakob blinked.

"What is a helpless child doing here?" Wait a moment. She just saved him. With magic. Hardly helpless. Ingrained instincts, he supposed?

The mentioned child scowled. "I am older than I look. And I suspect that you will need my help to rescue the princess."

And here, all the butler could think of was the fact that she looked exactly like Princess Elise when she pouted. It was surprisingly difficult to take such an appearance seriously.

The butler had not been this disconcerted in quite a while and he lived with Prince Corrin. Perhaps it was the near-death experience?

But time was not on their side, so Jakob gruffly nodded. He tore out of the stable, the child mage following close behind.

* * *

"They thought me to be a child and harmless. I would have corrected them, had the princess not been captured as well." The mage hardly looked pleased at that, as her robes fluttered behind her. "Still, they let their guard down and I was able to escape when I heard the sound of fighting begin. I don't think the princess was so lucky."

Jakob almost stopped running at that. "...Are you not a child?"

"No."

Alright then. He seemed to have touch on something sensitive. Jakob grit his teeth and kept running.

More soldiers up ahead now.

* * *

"...Is that you Nyx?"

Princess Elise. After having left a broken trail of bodies behind with the assistance of a shockingly (all puns intended) capable mage, the two had managed to fight their way to the princess's quarter. The now-named Nyx nodded.

"Indeed, it is I. Sorry to keep you waiting, Elise."

Jakob felt a pang of anguish at the very sight of the princess. Torn between traumatic grief and sheer relief, the princess had red-rimmed eyes and looked to have slept poorly for days. Just the very thought of Corrin suffering in a similar manner, the realization that Elise had already suffered so ignited a blazing fury within the butler.

He must have missed the rest of the conversation, as he plotted how painful he was going to make Kaze's death.

"Don't just stand there. Let's get Elise onto a horse."

* * *

How long had they been fighting?

Even with the princess's healing assistance, it seemed like Jakob and Nyx had been fighting their way out for hours. The butler was dimly aware it had only been a few minutes, but where had all these troops come from?

At this point, he was on autopilot, hand flicking out to hurl daggers, robotically scavenging them back and dashing towards the entrance only to find even more soldiers blocking the way. No longer were they facing untrained militia - these must have been the actual guards that Corrin and Felicia had been fa- was still fighting. He refused to entertain the notion that they had been defeated.

Regardless of the truth, he pressed on, the terrified presence of a young princess behind him spurring his exhausted body forward and through the masses of enemies.

* * *

Ah. Pink hair. That must be Felicia, which meant Corrin was nearby. And they weren't fighting anymore - so surely, he had completed… his duty…?

Blissful darkness.

* * *

"Get some rest, Lord Corrin. You'll do Princess Camilla no favors if you show up exhausted."

The butler cracked a drooping eye open. That was Flora's voice. That was not a bed that he was sleeping on.

What was Flora doing back here?

"...I know." The prince looked despondent.

But they had been successful? Where was Princess Elise?

As if to answer his unspoken question, the prince grumbled. "I can't believe you let Arthur make the trip over here. You two could have been killed!"

"Do you have so little faith in myself and Sir Arthur? Also, should I remind you of another certain stubborn man who would ignore all the self-harm he would cause to himself by throwing himself in reckless endeavors?" The teasing but sharp voice of Flora. So was Arthur here…?

"You know that's not what I meant. But are you sure Arthur and Elise will be all right by themselves heading back to Dragonfall?" Ah, well that answered that. He tuned out the rest of the conversation, the most important concern having been answered, in favor of determining their situation.

Bleary eyes roved around camp. That was... Felicia had dozed off polishing her knife, hand still lazily misting over as her ice powers leaked out whilst she slept. And their newest companion, the enigmatic Nyx, had her eyes closed.

Jakob could have mistaken her for being asleep, if it weren't for the fact that there were several tomes levitating in mid-air around the childish-looking sorceress.

And no sign of Arthur or Elise. Just the darkness of the night, the smell of rotting bark and damp earth, and the distant flickering silhouette of fire…

Ah, he understood now. In which case, he should stop resisting the call of sleep if he understood the situation correctly.

Jakob was loathe to admit it, but the day's toils had exhausted him - and if he were to serve Corrin to the best of his ability tomorrow, the butler would need to rest.

The beleaguered defenders of Port Dia certainly needed all the help they could get. Jakob closed his eyes, in a dark forest illuminated by the distant burning silhouette of Port Dia.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry for the delay, I got sidetracked a lot this week and spent a large time rewriting some of the previous chapters a bit since I wasn't quite satisfied with their quality. I might just be constantly revising previous chapters all the time but I'll make a note if I actually change anything important.

Next chapter: **Storm**


	10. Storm

...

* * *

 **-= 07: Storm =-**

* * *

' _The turning point of the war began with Hoshido's counterattack in the south._

 _To contextualize the situation, one must first understand that the stalemate at the Bottomless Canyons greatly favored the Hoshidans. In narrow chokepoints, the mobility advantage of Nohr's cavalry was largely negated. And the Hoshidans were skilled in defensive warfare, having fended off Faceless incursions for the greater part of two decades before the war began. In contrast, the Nohrian army had no real combat experience since the Great Barrier was erected. It is true that they protected the realm against bandits and the occasional uprising against King Garon, but the newest generation of Nohrian knights had no real experience in large-scale warfare. Thus, Hoshido had many times the number of combat-capable veterans than the Nohrians did._

 _To add to this, after three months of prolonged combat and rising losses, King Garon was rapidly losing the support of his people. Though he promised a more prosperous future should they succeed in the conquest of Hoshido, the lack of progress and the grim correspondence from the front line sapped the Nohrian people of their will to fight._

 _It was beyond most predictions of Nohrian tacticians that Hoshido would even consider launching an attack of their own given such advantages in the sustained standoff. The fearsome reputation of the Nohrian armored regiments, the rapid mobilization of cavalry and wyverns to react to any such attack - surely the Hoshidans would be content with a defensive stalemate rather than risk it all on a gambit that played into the strengths of Nohr's army._

 _High Prince Ryouma thought otherwise.'_

\- Kiragi, on the Battle of Dia in "Major Battles from the War"

* * *

 ** _Port Dia_**

* * *

 _Camilla_

Princess Camilla exulted in the thrill of battle, as the world narrowed into her beloved Marzia and the burning sky.

Marzia was an obsidian missile of claws and fangs and fury as she launched forward into the clustered mass of sinewy and feathery bodies of pegasi. Camilla swung an axe with one hand, launching a fireball with another to deter an attacker as princess and wyvern crashed through yet another pegasi formation.

She noted that it seemed that the wyvern knights of Nohr were more than a match for the sky knights of Hoshido, even through the din of battle. In their desperate attempts to reach the siege weapons currently battering away at their vast armada, the pegasi knights could not use their vaunted swiftness to its fullest extent, denied the aerial mobility they needed to outpace the hardened scales and fangs of Nohr's wyverns. Great gouts of flame launched from the spelltowers, ballistas launching bolt after bolt of hull-piercing steel, and catapults launching crushingly heavy ordinance - though Hoshido had assaulted them with a vast armada, few frigates were able to brave the fierce fortifications that the Nohrian army was able to set up.

A brief look down as Beruka cleared the airspace around her to see Selena, still looking proud and inspirational as she rallied the defenses around the pier, a bulwark of steel against the few Hoshidans that had managed to disembark onto the docks. The battle on the ground was going just as well so far.

Camilla had no illusions that their battlefield supremacy would last, but there was no quenching the immense satisfaction that arose from repelling the Hoshidan invasion so resoundingly thus far. Only five light frigates had made it past the scuttled blockade, of which only two were able to unload their cargo of infantry before being sunk. The rest was repelled by the barrage of withering spellfire, ballista bolts, and catapult missiles forming a steel curtain of certain death around the entrances to the port.

The defenses held. And if she had anything to say about it, they would continue to hold.

Camilla turned Marzia's vengeful fangs onto yet another ill-fated sky knight.

* * *

" _Our scouts are estimating that they outnumber us at least four to one. Most likely more, if they can fit more infantry into their galleons than we can. And they're supported by several wings of pegasus knights. They'll be here within two days."_

 _Princess Camilla was not happy._

 _The lavender-haired princess of Nohr had been on edge ever since Elise had failed to arrive in Dia on time. Visions of what might have happened, nightmares of bandits… it was all Beruka and Selena could do to restrain her from sending out entire platoons to scour the countryside for her missing sister._

 _And now, she glanced disdainfully at the anxious scout in front of her, they were proven to be wise in their caution. Hoshido was launching an all-out assault, a vast armada of ships packed to the brim with infantry, supported by wings and wings of pegasi knights._

 _And, if reports were to believed, one Princess Hinoka of Hoshido leading the charge personally. The warrior princess had finally deigned to show herself._

 _They were outnumbered, on a scale of at least four to one if initial estimates were accurate. The Nohrian armored corps had much to take pride in, but even the most fervent of patriots would balk at such odds._

 _Port Dia must not fall, lest all of southern Nohr be opened to Hoshidan incursion._

" _Dismissed. Inform the other commanders of what you've told me." The scout saluted, before rushing out of the room that served as her temporary office._

 _Beruka had a severe frown on her face. "These odds are looking bad." Camilla concurred. An understatement, if anything._

" _If we can stop them from actually landing, we may be able to keep their numbers manageable?" Selena posed questioningly._

 _That was true. The port was certainly not defenseless - there were more than a few siege weapons available that they could use to prevent the enemy ships from disembarking their troops. If they could keep the enemy pegasi knights off their siege weapons, perhaps they could deter the enemies from landing - or at the very least, grievously cost them for doing so._

 _She was not Leo, but she did have the foresight to bring siege engineers from the capital._

" _Very well. Selena, dear, please gather the other commanders and lead them to the command room. Beruka, would you get all the engineers to get the siege weapons set up?"_

* * *

Marzia's shriek was the only warning she had before _something_ barreled into her.

 _Fast!_

A spear very nearly impaled Camilla, but she deflected it at an odd angle at the last moment, receiving a long scratch on her arm for her troubles. Warbling, Marzia tumbled in midair from the impact of a trampling pegasi crashing into her, righting herself just in time to prevent Camilla from falling to an untimely death below.

Camilla of Nohr turned to see the familiar sight of Princess Hinoka of Hoshido dueling a trio of wyvern knights including dear Beruka and _winning_. Truly, the Warrior Princess of Hoshido was a force to be reckoned with…!

She watched as Hinoka neatly dismounted two of the wyvern knights, sending them plummeting below. Beruka's wyvern attempted to charge the Hoshidan princess's mount and received a puncturing blow to a wing for his efforts.

It was impressive. Beautiful even. Hoshido's Warrior Princess was truly a masterpiece in action. As a fellow royal, she could respect a frontline general with such grace and skill even if they were on opposing sides.

Beruka was sent into a spiraling corkscrew downwards. Camilla could catch a glimpse of frustration in her retainer as they descended. Hinoka turned to face her.

"Princess Camilla. Will you challenge me after what I just did to your three knights?!"

So rash. So confident. Was she expecting Camilla to be disconcerted? With a teasing lilt, she responded, "My dear knights can take care of themselves, I believe. But impressive work nonetheless, dear Hinoka!'

Even through the howling wind, Camilla thought she could see Hinoka blink before the pegasus knight commander looked downward. Camilla already knew what she would see, but indulged in the same.

The two wyvern knights that Hinoka had dismounted earlier had hurled themselves into the harbor, and could be seen paddling to the shore while Nohrian archers provided covering fire from the opportunistic sky knights. As for Beruka and her wounded wyvern…

Camilla was pleased to see Hinoka's mouth widen in sheer surprise as Beruka seemed to encourage her wyvern to actually increase the speed of the haphazard corkscrew, a wyvern turned makeshift drill from the heavens.

The princess of Nohr certainly couldn't hear it, but she relished in the horrified shouts of warning that the Hoshidan shock troopers undoubtedly were screaming.

A small black figure somersaulted off, axe gleaming in the morning sun as she spun through the air like a raging tornado. The hapless lancer beneath her stood no chance - split in two and used as a landing pad for Beruka who proceeded to use her momentum to leap off of as she hurled herself into a mass of surprised Hoshidan lancers who had not expected the likes of her Beruka to descend upon them from the sky. Beruka's wyvern slowly gliding on wounded wings back to the safety of camp.

She didn't need to watch the rest - she had full faith in her Beruka. Her fellow wyvern knights could fend for themselves, and Beruka had never gave her reason for doubt.

When she returned her gaze to her immediate enemy, a gobsmacked Hoshidan princess met her amused eyes. "Beruka's quite proficient at leaping off of absurd heights and landing gracefully. She used to be an assassin, you know?"

* * *

" _Where did this wyvern even come from?!"_

" _I bought it."_

" _You bought it? Since when did you learn how to ride a wyvern?"_

" _I learn fast. Now I can protect you even when you fly."_

* * *

Indeed, Beruka didn't let anything as trivial as the sky to separate master and retainer, and insisted on learning how to ride a wyvern in order to protect her even in the skies. It was always interesting to see how Beruka would apply her past learnings even to wyvern combat.

Hinoka's face tightened, a rictus of anger. Oh, Hinoka's expression was just adorable! It was so similar to Corrin's!

"You're insane! I shouldn't have expected anything more from the one who stole my brother away from me!"

 _And_ Camilla's amused expression vanished. And just moments ago, she was thinking of the similarities to beloved Corrin.

"How presumptuous of you. Corrin is _my_ brother, not yours." Marzia shrieked in outrage, sensing her rider's wrath. "I would hate to make him sad, but I'm sure he would forgive me if you end up a bit bruised."

"Just try it!"

The pegasi and wyvern knights fighting around them had formed a haphazard arena around them, making sure to steer clear of the two princesses.

Good. More witnesses.

"Marzia, dear. Let's teach my counterpart some respect, shall we?"

* * *

Princess Camilla of Nohr hadn't been pushed this hard in a truly long time.

Oh sure, she was no match for the likes of Xander. Her brother was a juggernaut in battle, and with the legendary Siegfried at his side, she suspected only Ryouma of Hoshido would even pose a threat.

But to be challenged in the skies, the domain in which she ruled supreme amongst her family…

Camilla grinned as she finally scored a hit on the elusive Hoshidan princess, shrugging off the swift flurry of spear strikes that sent rivulets of blood flying. She wasn't aiming to kill, but surely dearest Corrin would forgive her for bruising her?

The Nohrian royal might not be able to hit the crimson sky rider every time they exchanged blows, but Princess Camilla of Nohr was confident that she and Marzia could outlast anybody in the air.

Well, maybe except for that woman from Cheve. Her wyvern was older than Marzia's and had _seen_ battle. But these Hoshidan pegasi couldn't hold a candle to Nohr's wyverns!

Even as they were wheeling around for yet another clash, even through in the raging winds of battle, the exhilarating thrill of aerial combat against Corrin's " _sister..."_

One statement cut clearly through the din of battle, proclaimed in an all-too familiar voice that made her blood run cold.

"In the name of Princess Camilla, I, Selena of Nohr, challenge you to a duel!"

Camilla looked down and saw nightmare turned reality. Her Selena was standing amidst ruined and broken bodies, in the middle of a clearing that the other combatants had inadvertently made. And across from her, clad in crimson armor...

Prince Ryouma of Hoshido. The Peerless Samurai. Hoshido's finest swordmaster. And the wielder of the legendary blade of lightning, Raijinto. And apparently, the one responsible for single-handedly carving a path to the port defenses and disabling a third of their artillery already.

Princess Hinoka wasn't the only royal here.

 _No! How?!_

Their ground defenses had been _scattered_. The mages manning the spelltowers had fallen to ninjas that had breached the lines from… _behind them?_ The engineers that manned the ballista, half already lay dead as scores of samurai appeared seemingly out of thin air, the other half desperately fighting for their lives even as their guards tried to reach them.

And she could see that the firm bulwark that Selena had formed around the artillery had been sundered - assaulted on both sides, somehow flanked despite all their efforts. Could see the gaps in the formation where brave armor knights had fallen to Hoshidan spears. The artillery was almost wide-open, and Selena and a few swordsmen were all that stood in the enemy's direct path.

Camilla knew Selena well enough to know what her retainer was doing, and she hated it, hated it, _hated it._ From the scene of carnage down there, the Hoshidan prince had torn through the Nohrian ranks and was single-handedly forcing the pier defenders back. Selena was challenging him on the basis of a warrior's pride, hoping to stem the bleeding, to distract Ryouma from rampaging through the rest of the defenders, to buy time for the rest of the defenders to regroup and solidify.

Stem, slow, distract - but not _win_.

* * *

" _They will not pass through us, Lady Camilla. I swear it."_

" _I know. I trust in you, Selena. Be careful out there, okay?"_

* * *

Marzia sensed her rider's anguish, screeching as she made to dive back down towards the battlefield. _Toward Selena._ But before the wyvern could complete a turning dive, she was forced to jolt upwards in order to dodge a charging pegasi knight. That was _not_ Hinoka.

Her eyes narrowed as a blast of lightning incinerated the offending attacker. The sky knights had broken the informal ring and was converging on her. She could sense some of her wyvern knights closing in to assist.

They wouldn't reach her in time.

That was alright.

"I'll just have to teach you all a lesson!"

Blasts of flame, bolts of lightning - an enraged Camilla and Marzia tore through the ranks of the sky knights, only halted in their destructive rampage when Hinoka managed to briefly deflect their attention onto her. It didn't last long when her own knights attempted to rescue their commander

The rest of her wyvern knights reached her, and they now firmly had the advantage in the air with how many sky knights she had slew as they desperately tried to divert her attention from their commander.

She chanced a glance down.

The world narrowed.

Selena was fighting the Hoshidan high prince. It must have only been scant seconds since the duel started, brief moments of eternity as Camilla was locked in combat against pegasi knights and unable to help. Already, she was losing. _Losing_.

Blood, streaming like her hair. A cut. _Another_. Camilla knew that her Selena was good, one of the best swordfighters she knew, but Prince Ryouma was like a raging tempest, a nightmare turned whirlwind of steel as he cut and cut and _cut and cut…!_

Red. Selena's blood was as red as her hair...

Corrin's " _sister"_ could damn well wait her turn. Selena couldn't.

Fighting these pegasi knights wasn't so exciting anymore. These pegasus knights… they were _in her way_.

Marzia and Camilla shrieked in synchronized rage, the wyvern pulling a tight turn as Camilla set the very air around her _ablaze_. Away. Away, away, _away!_ She batted away onrushing lances, incinerated arrows, decapitated obstacles in her way of going to Selena's side. Hinoka shouted something. It didn't matter.

Selena attempted to deflect a storm of steel made lightning. The legendary blade of lightning thrust forward, arcing skyward as Ryouma lifted her guard.

She distantly noted that Princess Hinoka was charging her.

' _Out of my way!'_

Blasts of fierce lightning would do to deter her from entering lance range of the flaming meteor that Marzia became, Camilla thought darkly.

Arrows flew towards them. The corona of flame around Marzia incinerated most, her beloved wyvern streaking downwards like a blazing comet.

 _Not fast enough. Not fast enough!_

Selena lost her footing. The sound of thunder as Raijinto shattered her retainer's sword. The flash of lightning, as the Hoshidan prince went for…!

Camilla's world became _fire and lightning and shrieks and raging wyvern and blood and rage and wrath…!_

* * *

 _Felicia_

They heard it before they saw it.

The keening cry of rage, the clash of steel on steel. The sound of thunder. Felicia had never regretted wearing her maid dress more as she struggled to keep up with her lord, who was sprinting at this point.

Maybe Corrin had a point about going barefoot all the time.

Regardless, they dashed past blazing buildings, bloody corpses, terrified civilians. At least the Hoshidans didn't involve innocents.

As far as idle thoughts on the battlefield go, that was all that came to mind.

Then the need to think about trivial things ceased as they reached the city square.

Princess Camilla, normally known for her lavender raiments. Marzia, the princess's black wyvern.

If she didn't know better, she could have sworn they dyed themselves red as princess and wyvern screamed in feral rage, descending upon the lone crimson figure beneath them in a flurry of claws and steel and magic.

Prince Ryouma of Hoshido.

He made parrying a wyvern charge look _easy_. As if by routine, as if fighting off raging wyverns was some kind of relaxing pastime. A graceful backstep, the arc of lightning that was the legendary blade Raijinto. One lash, a second blow, a third thrust and Marzia flew back into the air, sporting yet another deep gash, limping back to the skies.

A whirlwind of lightning and steel, Felicia dazedly thought.

The wyvern knights had been scattered. There were still a few desperately fighting, forced to descend back to the ground without covering fire to aid the beleaguered defenders. There were still a few sky knights that would work with the grounded Hoshidans to pincer the knights, who could not retreat back into the sky or from their falling comrades.

Pockets of armor knights still remained, though it was clearly a losing battle. Most had dozens of shuriken embedded into them, Dusk only knows how many were delirious from the effects of poison.

The ruined wreckage of ballistas. The shattered orbs of mage towers.

Mages? Healers? None to be seen. Which would sort of explain the princess's condition.

And next to the shattered statue in the center, she thought she recognized… Oh. That was Beruka. She almost didn't recognize the stoic woman. The normally stonefaced assassin was actually snarling as her axe lashed out at the Hoshidans surrounding her. Beruka had a _terrifying_ face as her axe parried another thrust by a relaxed-looking monk, only grunting as she received an arrow to the shoulder for her troubles.

Why would Beruka not dodge that? She must have seen… _Oh._

Bleeding out on the pavement, limbs splayed in a manner that couldn't have been comfortable. Felicia knew Selena liked red, but wasn't that a bit much to wear all red? And so much of her hair was on the ground, Selena always really liked her twintails, she would be so upset. Really now...

She distantly heard Corrin's shouted commands. Recognized the feel of Flora using healing magics even as Jakob dashed forward to aid Beruka.

Even Nyx had silently begun her deadly work, calling forth the might of the elements to leash destruction on a formation of lancers that charged Beruka's position.

 _Ah. She was panicking._

More enemies thundered towards Beruka's position.

No. That wasn't okay. She wasn't as close to Selena as she could have been, but Selena was a friend.

And Felicia was done with losing friends.

 _Breathe. Crystallize._

A blade of of ice formed in her hands. Knives weren't great for defending and she didn't want to exhaust herself forming projectiles yet.

Felicia stood in front of four burly oni clansmen. None of them were Rinkah.

That made it a lot easier to do what must come next.

Even as they bellowed, a wall of rippling muscles charging, Felicia stood her ground.

' _Hey Rinkah, looks like your sword training was worth something.'_

* * *

 _Flora_

She strained herself, forcing her magics to reach across the battlefield. She didn't know how much longer the red-haired swordswoman had.

The faint stirrings of life greeted her ethereal touch. _Alive then, if barely._ She would trust in Jakob to provide immediate assistance, her friend already fighting aside Beruka.

She turned her attention towards the skies, where the bleeding form of Corrin's sister demanded immediate attention, a caricature of savagery and nobility all in one.

Prince Ryouma of Hoshido looked pristine. As if he hadn't been scratched once. Flora forced the sensation of bonechilling fear down. The princess needed her help.

Once again, she strained out with outstretched hands, gripping tightly onto her staff. She idly noted Nyx blasting down charging samurai, the child-sized mage delivering payloads of magic she would have thought impossible for someone of her stature.

And slowly, the princess's wounds began to heal, if slowly. Flora winced as the princess of Nohr charged back into the fray and her work was undone by the dancing lightning that was the Hoshidan general.

A distant part of her noted the scattered remnants of Nohrian knights, falling as they were encircled and systematically eliminated.

Some dark part of her almost reveled in that. But then she only had to turn guilty eyes towards the battered figure of Corrin's sister, the anguished face for whom they fought for before it was snuffed out by the demon of self-loathing.

Camilla wasn't fighting to win anymore. Though Flora somewhat doubted that she could have.

Shouting, so much shouting. The cascading din of the battlefield, a muffled haze. Couldn't hear it, as she strained to heal the ever accumulating wounds of the berserk princess. She closed her eyes, shut out the world. _Just heal. Heal. Heal._

She heard it, even through the filter of concentrated magic. The sound of thunder. _Raijinto_. Flora opened her eyes to see the samurai prince going for the finishing blow on Camilla's mount.

The wounded wyvern was certainly in no shape to dodge lightning made steel.

The clang of steel. Corrin!

Her lord jumped into the fray, and Prince Ryoma's eyes widened considerably as he aborted the slash. One pegasi immediately broke off from the aerial battle, descending. Flora recognized the gallant figure of Princess Hinoka as she leapt down, spear in hand.

They were shouting something. Pointing weapons. Some of the voices must have been Ryouma and Hinoka's. She couldn't make out the conversation.

And then, she had no more time for thoughts, as they leapt into battle and she started shoving waves of healing energy towards the two Nohrian royals, staggering under the weight of her concentration.

Lord Corrin. Princess Camilla. Exhausted. Wounded.

Princess Hinoka. Prince Ryouma. Scratched. Pristine.

The only condolence was that the monk was fully distracted by Jakob's knives and Beruka's axe. She was the only one with the space and time to heal anyone.

It would have to be enough.

* * *

It wasn't enough.

* * *

 **A/N:** Uh… yeah, end of the year is so not happening. Also, battle scenes are hard.

Everyone from the game will eventually show up, though Hoshido's going to get a bit less representation than Nohr. Incidentally, many familiar faces will show up in the next chapter.

Next chapter: **Alight**


End file.
